US Pollution Hotspots
The most severely contaminated communities in the United States — documented by the EPA, investigative journalists, and environmental justice organizations. Many are the direct result of regulatory failure and environmental racism.
Cancer Alley
An 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is home to over 150 petrochemical pla...
Kettleman City
A small, predominantly Latino farming community surrounded by industrial facilities including the largest hazardous wast...
Navajo Nation Uranium Mines
Over 500 abandoned uranium mines on Navajo Nation land continue to contaminate water and soil with radioactive material....
Flint, Michigan
In 2014, the city switched its water source to the Flint River to save money. Corrosive water leached lead from aging pi...
Superfund Sites — Houston Ship Channel
The Houston Ship Channel is one of the most industrialized waterways in the US, lined with refineries, chemical plants, ...
East Chicago Lead Contamination
Residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex lived on top of a former lead smelter Superfund site for decades without b...
Appalachian Coal Ash Ponds
Coal ash — the toxic residue from burning coal — is stored in unlined ponds across Appalachia. The 2008 Kingston TVA spi...
Mossville, Louisiana
A historically Black community founded by freed slaves, Mossville was surrounded by 14 industrial facilities including v...
Hinkley Groundwater Contamination
Pacific Gas & Electric contaminated the groundwater in Hinkley with hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) from a compressor s...
Anniston PCB Contamination
Monsanto produced PCBs in Anniston for decades, dumping waste in open-pit landfills and discharging into local creeks. I...
Navajo Generating Station Fallout
The Navajo Generating Station, one of the largest coal plants in the US, operated near the Grand Canyon and Navajo Natio...
East Palestine Train Derailment
In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals derailed and ca...