Indicator: Human Exposure Under Control on Contaminated

0,07

MB

Lands

8

stron

2589

ID

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

2005

rok

Contaminated lands include sites contaminated as a result of improper disposal of toxic and

hazardous wastes in the past, as well as improper handling or accidents occurring at active

hazardous waste management facilities. People and ecosystems can be harmed if they come into

contact with these toxic and hazardous materials, either on-site or as a result of migration offsite

through air, water, and groundwater. Trends in addressing the area covered by contaminated lands

are all difficult to document on a nationwide basis, because efforts have focused on

characterization of contamination and remedial responses at specific sites and their local

surroundings, and because federal and state governments use a variety of laws and regulations to

initiate, implement, and enforce cleanup. Restoration at the nation’s most contaminated lands,

however, is managed primarily by EPA’s Superfund Program or its RCRA Corrective Action

Program.