Researchers from six institutions will soon begin a five-year study of toxic sites in coastal Georgia to assess health risks from industrial pollution worsened by climate change.
Semona Holmes lives in Brunswick near a former pesticide plant that is now a Superfund site. Floodwaters from heavy rains and high tides have reached her knees and once allowed a neighbor to canoe down the street. She worries the water carries contaminants from the site.
Scientists will receive $15 million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to examine four Superfund sites in Glynn County. The team includes researchers from Emory University, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, and Texas Tech University.
The project aims to understand past chemical exposures and reduce future ones while modeling how rising seas and stronger storms could affect containment at the sites. Emory professor Noah Scovronick said the work will ensure ongoing remediation remains resilient to extreme weather.
Holmes and other residents have shared concerns with the researchers. She and her family avoid local tap water and seafood, and she hopes the studies will document exposures affecting her grandchildren who attend a nearby school.