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Choosing Where You Live
A Consumer Self Help Guide to the U.S. and U.S. Territories
Master Checklist
Agricultural Land Uses (Pesticides, Herbicides, Fertilizers, Livestock)
Other Health and Environment Concerns
(Lead, Radon, Noise, Wood Smoke)
Disclaimer: Mention of trade names, products, or services does not convey, and should not be interpreted as conveying, official EPA approval, endorsement, or recommendation.
1--Weather and Climate and Surroundings
- How will the general seasonal or climate conditions affect your family?
- Are there grass or grain fields close to your new residence?
- Do you have allergies to grain, grass, or woodlands that may surround your home?
- Does the area have earthquakes? tornadoes? hurricanes? floods?
2--Population and Auto Congestion
- How many people live in the area?
- How much auto traffic and congestion do you see? slight? extreme?
- Do you see smoke plumes from the diesel exhaust of buses and trucks?
- Are there concrete walls or noise barriers lining major highways?
Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791
- What is the source of drinking water in your area or neighborhood?
- What is the quality of the drinking water in the area?
- Does the water have an odor?
- Is the water in the area known to be "hard" water?
- Are there any known contaminated rivers? lakes? beaches?
- What is the condition of the local watershed?
4--Industrial Land Uses (Manufacturing Processes)
- What types of industrial facilities or manufacturing plants are located
in the area?
- Are there paper or pulp manufacturing plants? dye? rubber? chemical
manufacturing?
- What are the reputations of the companies that operate those facilities?
- Is there a history of chemical spills, fires, or negligent acts?
- Do their manufacturing processes contaminate the air or water?
- What is the prevailing wind direction?
5--Agricultural Land Uses (Pesticides, Herbicides, Fertilizers, Livestock)
- Are farm lands close to your future home or land site?
- What type of farming occurs on the land?
- Are pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers used? What types?
- Is there livestock on the farm? What water sources do the livestock use?
- Are there grass or grain fields close to your future home or land site that are burned on a seasonal basis? (May create soot, a possible respiratory concern.)
- Are there woodlands and grasslands near your new neighborhood?
- Is there a history of disease or illness that stems from inhabitants of these environments, for example, Lyme disease?
- What is the prevailing wind direction?
Wetlands Protection Hotline: (800) 832-7828
- Are there wetlands or marshes near your future residence?
- Is there a history of wild animal or insect problems around the wetlands
area?
- Is there a history of disease or illness that stems from those wetland
inhabitants?
7--Major Pollutants and Nonattainment Areas
Acid Rain Hotline: (202) 233-9620
Stratospheric Ozone Hotline: (800) 296-1996
National Air Pollutant Emission Trends, 1970-1997: (919) 541-5285
National Air Quality and Emissions Trends, 1997: (919) 541-5558
Nonattainment areas for six main pollutant concerns were established under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA). Nonattainment areas are those that do not meet the standards set forth by EPA for healthy air. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are used to measure the air quality for these six pollutants:
- carbon monoxide (CO)
- lead (PB)
- nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- ozone (O3)
- particulate matter (PM10)
- sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- Have you checked to see if the levels for these pollutants meet the standards in the area where you now live or where you plan to move?
- Have you checked sources to see if health advisories are issued during a 2- to 3-month period for these pollutants?
- Have you compared it with other areas or geographic locations in the United States?
- Can you see smog or a brown sky in areas where you plan to move?
8--Odor Sources (Industrial and Agricultural)
- Industrial and processing plants are often odor sources.
- Are there any of the following types of plants in the area:
- Paper or pulp mills?
- Sulfur (rotten egg smell) or other chemical plants?
- Breweries?
- Photochemical plants?
- Waste treatment plants?
- Smelters?
- Coal?
- Livestock-raising or livestock-rendering plants?
- Have you checked the proximity of farmland, livestock and fertilized
fields in relation to the prevailing winds?
- Will these conditions affect your family's health?
- Are there family members who are more "at risk" for respiratory problems?
- Do family members already have health problems, such as asthma or
allergies, that may become worse by living in this area?
9--Trash and Hazardous Waste Incineration
- How is trash removed in the city or town where you live or plan to live?
- How is it processed?
- Are there hazardous waste incinerators located in the area?
- Is there a history of trash disposal problems in the area?
- Is open trash burning or leaf burning allowed?
- What is the prevailing wind direction?
10--Solid Waste Disposal Landfills
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA) Hotline
RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)/UST Hotline
(800) 424-9346, (703) 412-9810
- Are there active landfills in the neighborhood?
- Are there closed landfills in your neighborhood and if so, who monitors
them?
- What is the condition of the site?
- Does it affect the watershed? Local lakes or rivers?
- What is the prevailing wind direction?
11--Superfund and Brownfields Sites
Superfund Hotline: (800) 424-9346
Superfund sites are those sites that are defined as having chemicals possibly harmful to human health and for which there are laws for cleanup.
- Are there Superfund sites near your current or future home?
- If so, have remedies for their cleanup been implemented?
- Have you checked with local governments to get information on the land or land site?
- How is the former site used?
Brownfields are those areas defined by EPA as abandoned pieces of land, often in inner city areas, that are lightly contaminated from prior industrial use and that do not pose a serious public health risk to the community.
- Is there a treated brownfield site in your neighborhood or future homesite area?
- If so, who monitors the site? State or Federal government authorities?
- How is the former site used?
12--Other Health and Environment Concerns
Lead
National Lead Information Center Hotline: (800) LEAD-FYI
National Lead Information Clearinghouse: (800) 424-LEAD
- Is there a history of lead in drinking water from lead pipes, lead soldered pipes, or brass fittings with lead?
- Is there a history of lead in paint or soil?
- Are there nearby buildings with lead-based paint?
Radon
National Radon Hotline: (800) SOS-RADON
- Have unsafe levels of radon been found in the homes? soil? or water supply of your present neighborhood?
- Have unsafe levels of radon been found in the homes, soil, or water supply where you plan to move?
Noise
- Are there noise barriers or concrete walls lining major highways?
- Are there local ordinances regulating noise?
- Are there manufacturing or agricultural businesses close by?
- Is your home or future home close to an airport?
- If so, where is your home in relation to the airport flight pattern?
Wood Smoke
- Is wood a primary fuel source in the area you now live or where you plan to move?
- If homes in your neighborhood have fireplaces, do your neighbors regularly use them?