5,500 Toxic Locations In The US Are Estimated To Be Flooded In 2100, Including In New York

New York illustration. (Luke Stackpoole-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Researchers at the University of California (UCLA) noted that rising sea levels caused by climate change could cause 5,500 toxic locations in the United States to flood in the coming decades.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Nature on Thursday, November 20, revealed that in the high greenhouse gas emission scenario, more than 5,500 dangerous locations across the US will risk flooding once in 100 years by 2100.

The malicious locations referred to in the journal include facilities that deal with waste, toxic waste, oil and gas, other industrial pollutants, and former defense locations.

According to the study, from risky locations, at least 3,800 locations are projected to flood by 2050.

Professor of environmental health science madya at UCLA and lead author of the study, Lara Cushing told ABC News, that many US coasts are highly industrialized for various reasons, including access to raw materials and proximity to high sea transportation.

Cushing added that in recent decades extreme flood events caused by storms such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Harvey in 2017 had flooded industrial facilities, releasing toxic chemicals into flood and airwater.

In this study, Cushing said researchers at UCLA compiled industrial and contaminated location databases, such as waste treatment installations, oil and gas refineries that are still active, and other types of industrial facilities -- a total of nearly 50,000 locations in 23 US coastal states and Puerto Rico.

They then estimated the risk of flooding in those locations for 2050 and 2100 with greenhouse gas emission scenarios: high emissions and moderate emissions.

The study also describes the states most at risk of flooding in toxic locations including Florida, New Jersey, California, Louisiana, New York, Massachusetts, and Texas. The seven states cover nearly 80 percent of risky locations by 2100.

"This gives us an overview of where we might want to focus our efforts," said Cushing.

If these locations are flooded, he said, they could pose a serious threat to public health and the surrounding community, according to the paper.

Cushing said oil-related infrastructure, such as refineries, ports, and terminals, was very risky due to possible oil spills but also due to chemicals used to distill oil.

According to him, the researchers also found that residents in marginalized communities are likely to be affected by flooding in toxic locations with higher levels.