Hazards for Nearby Residents and Cleanup Workers of Waste Sites

Abstract

This study weighs the risks to workers of cleaning up Superfund sites against the risks to residents if the sites were not cleaned up. Risks are measured by the number of deaths and disabilities due to injuries and diseases, as well as by the costs of these deaths and disabilities. We posit three methods to clean up the sites: one that is labor-intensive and two that are not. We posit 24 hypothetical sites, with varying numbers of residents and levels of cancer death and cancer disability rates. Depending on the cleanup method, the number of residents, and the rates, we find that the risks to workers frequently outweigh the risks to residents. We conclude that risks to workers should be accounted for in Environmental Protection Agency judgments regarding which and how Superfund sites should be cleaned up.

How clean is clean: a review of the social science of environmental cleanups

“…Counseling services could be provided for affected communities through coordination with health organizations. Overall, this body of literature prompts us to reevaluate cost-benefit analysis of remediation by considering the toll it takes on workers (Leigh andHoskin 1999, Lowe et al 2015). It also underscores the importance of providing mental health services for cleanup workers and affected communities, in addition to physical health monitoring.…”

Incorporating green and sustainable remediation analysis in coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundment closure decision making

“…These metrics are collectively called the Safety pathway metrics. Various studies have been published quantifying worker health and safety using actuarial science (Cohen, Beck, & Rudel, 1997;Hoskin, Leigh, & Planek, 1994;Leigh & Hoskin, 1999, 2000. Actuarial science is a discipline that relies on mathematical and statistical meth-…”

Actuarial Risk Analysis to Promote National Contingency Plan (NCP)‐Consistent Remediation

“…This field has historically focused on and evolved from the insurance and finance industries, where it is used as the basis to set insurance premiums (Trowbridge, ). More recently, methods for estimating the occupational risks of worker fatalities and injuries have been published by Leigh and Hoskin (, ), Hoskin et al (), and Cohen et al (). These methods rely on published statistics of worker fatalities and injuries, such as those compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS; http://www.bls.gov/iif/).…”

“…Occupational fatalities and injury rates vary depending on occupational labor categories. The labor categories parallel those used by Hoskin et al (1994) and Leigh and Hoskin (1999).…”