Rising seas magnify the dangers of Coastal Georgia’s industrial past

In coastal Georgia, rising floodwaters are amplifying an old industrial problem. Semona Holmes lives half a mile from a former pesticide plant—now a toxic Superfund site. During storms and high tides, her street floods, and the floodwater threatens to breach the containment structures meant to keep toxic materials buried and away from her neighborhood. Per Grist, a new research center is launching to investigate the health effects of contamination at Glynn County's four Superfund sites. Six universities—including Emory, Georgia Tech, and Morehouse—are receiving fifteen million dollars from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Over five years, they'll study past exposures, track how people may have been harmed, and model how rising seas and stronger storms could overwhelm current containment. Holmes says her family already avoids tap water and local seafood, and she worries about her grandchildren playing on contaminated soil near their school. The research represents the acknowledgment and continued action the community deserves.

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