Health effects of a Superfund hazardous chemical waste disposal site.

A cross-sectional study of 358 households consisting of 1,454 persons was carried out to test the hypothesis that people who have resided in the vicinity of a Superfund hazardous chemical waste disposal site (SHCWDS) would have more health problems than those who lived at a greater distance from the SHCWDS. The SHCWDS is located in a rural community in southern New Jersey. Geohydrological surveys of the SHCWDS premise have found groundwater and soil contaminated with chemical substances. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of cancer, liver illnesses, and skin diseases between the exposed and comparison groups. However, a significantly higher prevalence of respiratory diseases (relative risk [RR] = 1.9, confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 3.3) and seizures (RR = 4.3, CI 1.1, 13.9) occurred among the exposed group. The differences between the exposed and unexposed groups disappeared when cigarette smoking, the consumption of homegrown vegetables, or source of water supply were considered.