Residential Proximity to Metal-Containing Superfund Sites and Their Potential as a Source of Disparities in Metal Exposure among U.S. Women

Brittany A. Trottier, Nicole M. Niehoff, Alexander P. Keil, Rena R. Jones, Keith E. Levine, Nathaniel S. MacNell, and Alexandra J. White (2023). “Residential Proximity to Metal-Containing Superfund Sites and Their Potential as a Source of Disparities in Metal Exposure among U.S. Women.” Environmental Health Perspectives 131:3 CID: 037701 https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11045 [open access]

Abstract: More than 73 million people in the United States live within 3 mi (5 km) of a Superfund site,¹ which can be sources of uncontrolled hazardous waste. These sites tend to be in areas of lower socioeconomic status or with higher proportions of people of color.² Many Superfund sites release metals into different environmental media,³ making the sites plausible sources of exposure for nearby communities. We aimed to evaluate associations between residential proximity to metal-containing Superfund sites and toenail metal biomarker concentrations, with consideration of how these associations varied by race to assess the potential for unequal burden of exposure.