Environmental Quality Assessment of New Cassel, Nassau County: A Sustainable Development Goals Perspective

Executive Summary

This report details the significant environmental challenges faced by the community of New Cassel, Nassau County, analyzing them through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Decades of industrial activity have resulted in cumulative air and water pollution, disproportionately affecting the health and well-being of its residents. The findings from state-level environmental monitoring highlight critical issues that directly contravene the principles of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Community advocacy and regulatory responses are examined as crucial steps toward achieving these goals.

Impact on Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

The concentration of industrial and traffic-related pollutants in New Cassel poses a significant threat to public health, undermining the core objectives of SDG 3. State monitoring has confirmed the presence of pollutants linked to severe long-term health consequences.

Key Health Concerns

• Respiratory Conditions: A three-year average (2020-2022) revealed a high-concern classification for asthma hospitalization rates in the local ZIP code. Pollutants such as Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) are known to exacerbate conditions like asthma and emphysema.
• Long-Term Health Risks: Public health experts warn that observed pollution levels are sufficient to increase the long-term risk of serious health effects, including:
  1. Lung cancer
  2. Heart disease
  3. Dementia
  4. Adverse impacts on fetal development
• Carcinogen Exposure: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) identified elevated levels of diesel and non-diesel mobile source pollutants, many of which are known carcinogens.

Challenges to Sustainable Communities and Environmental Integrity

The environmental conditions in New Cassel present a direct challenge to achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) due to persistent air and water contamination.

Air Quality Deficiencies (SDG 11)

A February report from the DEC confirmed that the industrialized area of New Cassel experiences higher concentrations of air pollutants compared to other parts of the hamlet. This issue is linked to the area’s industrial composition and associated traffic.

• Pollution Sources: The primary contributors identified are heavy traffic volume from large vehicles servicing industrial facilities and emissions from businesses, which include at least 10 auto body shops and three scrap metal processors.
• Pollutant Levels: Monitoring found that in one focus area, the median PM 2.5 level was 8.12 micrograms per cubic meter, approximately 40% above common values in the surrounding area and approaching the National Ambient Air Quality Standards’ annual health benchmark of 9 micrograms per cubic meter.

Groundwater Contamination (SDG 6)

The legacy of industrial pollution includes extensive groundwater contamination, a critical failure in providing clean water and sanitation.

• Superfund Site Designation: The area is part of the EPA’s New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site, resulting from decades of hazardous material disposal by companies, including tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE).
• Ongoing Remediation: At least 10 individual sites within the New Cassel Industrial Area are under the state’s Superfund program for investigation and remediation. Eight of these are classified as Class 2 sites, indicating a “significant threat to public health and/or the environment.”

Environmental Justice and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10)

The situation in New Cassel exemplifies a critical issue of environmental inequality. As a historically disadvantaged community and one of Long Island’s earliest African American settlements, it has borne a disproportionate burden of environmental degradation.

Disproportionate Impact

• Legacy of Pollution: The DEC acknowledges that disadvantaged communities like New Cassel continue to experience cumulative impacts from higher pollution levels, noise, and odors due to their proximity to industrial and commercial sources.
• Community Concerns: Advocacy groups and residents have identified the situation as a form of “environmental racism,” where poor and working-class communities are situated near toxic sites.

Institutional Response and Path Forward (SDG 16 & SDG 17)

Addressing the environmental challenges in New Cassel requires strong institutions, justice, and partnerships, aligning with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Government and Community Actions

1. State-Level Monitoring: Air quality monitoring was conducted under the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and assisting disadvantaged communities.
2. Community Advocacy: Residents and local leaders are advocating for traffic studies and more strategic oversight of new businesses entering the community. A legislative task force is being considered to develop policy recommendations.
3. Future Strategies: The DEC is working with a Community Advisory Committee to recommend pollution reduction strategies. Potential funding from sources like the Environmental Bond Act is earmarked to mitigate air and water pollution in disadvantaged communities.
4. Collaborative Improvement: Community leaders emphasize that improving the local environment requires a collaborative effort among businesses, government leaders, and residents to ensure a clean and healthy community for all.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article extensively discusses the health impacts of pollution on the residents of New Cassel. It mentions concerns about long-term health effects, high asthma hospitalization rates, and links between pollutants and conditions like lung cancer, dementia, and heart disease. This directly connects to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

• The article highlights a legacy of “extensive groundwater contamination” due to companies disposing of toxic waste. It specifically mentions the “New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site” and the presence of hazardous materials, which directly relates to the goal of achieving clean water.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The article frames the issue as a case of “environmental racism,” noting that New Cassel is a historically African American and Hispanic community now classified as a “disadvantaged community.” It states that “Poor and working-class communities are left to live near these toxic sites,” highlighting the unequal distribution of environmental burdens based on socioeconomic and racial factors.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• The core issue revolves around the quality of life in a specific community (the hamlet of New Cassel) due to industrial pollution, traffic, and waste. The article focuses on air quality in a residential area, the concentration of industrial sites near homes and schools, and the overall environmental impact on the community, which are central themes of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Target 3.9: Substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

• The article directly supports this target by detailing the health risks faced by New Cassel residents. It notes that pollutants are “certainly high enough to be causing long-term health effects,” including asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease, which are illnesses resulting from air and water pollution.

Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.

• This target is identified through the article’s description of historical and ongoing water issues. It mentions “Years of companies’ disposal of toxic waste” and the presence of hazardous materials like “tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE)” in the groundwater, which are the exact problems this target aims to address.

Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or other status.

• The article points to a failure to meet this target by describing New Cassel as a “disadvantaged community” and one of Long Island’s “earliest African American communities” that is disproportionately affected by pollution. The concept of “environmental racism” implies that these residents have been excluded from the right to a clean and healthy environment enjoyed by other communities.

Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

• This target is central to the article. The entire narrative is built around the adverse environmental impact on New Cassel, with a specific focus on air quality. The state’s air quality monitoring initiative, which measured pollutants from traffic and industrial sites, is a direct effort related to this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicator for Target 3.9: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.

• The article provides a direct proxy indicator for health impacts: the “three-year average asthma hospitalization rate per 10,000,” which was classified as a “high concern.” This metric can be used to measure the burden of illness from air pollution in the community.

Indicator for Target 6.3: Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.

• The article implies indicators for poor water quality. The existence of the “New Cassel/Hicksville Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site” and the classification of eight sites as “Class 2 state Superfund sites” (representing a significant threat) serve as direct measures of the extent of groundwater contamination. The presence of specific pollutants like PCE and TCE is also a key indicator.

Indicator for Target 11.6: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5) in cities (population weighted).

• The article explicitly mentions this indicator. It states that the state’s initiative found higher concentrations of “particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5)” in the industrial area. It provides a specific measurement: “In one New Cassel focus spot… the median PM2.5 level was 8.12 [micrograms per cubic meter],” and compares this to national and international standards.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: newsday.com