By Patricia Hilliard • Executive Committee Member
New Jersey is the state with the most Superfund sites, roughly 150, 35 of which have been cleaned up. These toxic sites are due in part to New Jersey’s history as the origin of the industrial revolution in the United States. Over the years, various types of mining, steel production, fabric dying, glass and plastics molding, pesticide production, and other types of manufacturing gave wealth and comfort to society while generating toxic waste. We had no sense of the degradation that would ultimately occur. However, industrialists did have a keen sense that profits would be greater if they kept costs down. Consequently, they were predisposed to dump waste and toxins into the rivers, marshes, or other ecosystems.
Many battles have been fought over who should pay for cleanups. Some corporations, often under pressure from courts and regulators, have paid some of the cost. In other instances, where businesses failed, taxpayers picked up the tab through federal government programs. While some work has been done to remediate and remove toxic dump sites, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also monitored sites to prevent the spread of toxins or is continuing the cleanup.
After years of neglect and bickering, money to support Superfund site cleanups has come from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (bipartisan), signed into law in November 2021.
In December 2021, the EPA announced seven Superfund sites in New Jersey whose cleanups would be augmented using $1 billion of these funds.
Diamond Head Oil Refinery Div., Kearny—Chemical contamination included chromium, dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and lead.
Former Kil-Tone, Vineland—Toxins included arsenic-based pesticides, arsenic, and lead.
E.C. Electroplating, Garfield—Chromium from the site contaminated groundwater extensively, up to the Passaic River.
Kauffman & Minteer, Springfield—Contaminated groundwater threatened an aquifer used for drinking water.
Roebling Steel, Florence—Heavy metals contaminated soil, marsh, and riverbanks.
Unimatic Manufacturing, Fairfield—Oil containing PCBs was used at the site.
White Chemical, Newark—Waste from the manufacture of acid chlorides and fire-retardant compounds was found throughout the site.
In February 2023, funds were earmarked for three more Superfund sites.
Mansfield Trail Dump, Byram—The site was used as a dump for septic and industrial waste, which impacted soil and groundwater in the nearby residential neighborhood.
Matteo & Sons, West Deptford—This site was operated as an unregistered landfill, junkyard, and metals recycling facility and is extensively contaminated.
Cornell Dubilier Electronics, South Plainfield—PCBs and chlorinated volatile organic compounds, primarily trichloroethylene, contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater at the site.
Who has suffered more?
Our society has benefited from the various products that were created by industry. However, it is necessary to make amends for the environmental damage and to the people who suffer most from Superfund hazards in their communities. According to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, about 60% of the sites nationwide are in historically underserved communities.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, has noted that these sites contain toxic substances that expose residents of these communities to elevated risk for cancers, birth defects, and other serious health problems. The health risks extend beyond site contamination. Every activist in the labor movement knows that toxic chemicals in the workplace poison all workers, regardless of race or ethnic background.
What We Must Do
As residents of New Jersey, we must keep focused on the damage done and the work needed to make our state safe and clean again. The EPA offers an interactive map and lookup tool so residents can see if Superfund sites are in their communities and find out what work is being done or has been done. Superfund sites that were cleaned were the result of residents putting pressure on the corporations and government. We still need to be vigilant and defend our right to a clean environment in coordination with our struggle against the accelerating climate crisis!