New York State Department of Health: Involvement in Brownfields
What is a brownfield? A brownfield is an abandoned or unused industrial or commercial property for which redevelopment poses a problem because of real or perceived contamination of the land.
The New York State Department of Health is developing new tools to assist communities with brownfield redevelopment projects. These tools will enable the State Health Department to partner with communities to help them examine the extent and characteristics of brownfields in their neighborhoods and to look at the current status of their communities' health in a way that can be tracked over time.
Overview
The main focus of the New York State Department of Health's involvement with Brownfields is the protection and promotion of human health in industrially and commercially distressed New York State communities. Brownfields are any real property, the redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a contaminant. The New York State Department of Health works in partnership with other government and non-government organizations to ensure that communities are safe, healthy and inviting places to live and work.
Brownfields are one type of remedial site. Remedial sites are any real properties consisting of parcels, adjacent properties or parcels, or portions of properties or parcels, identified as inactive hazardous waste disposal sites, Brownfield sites, or environmental restoration projects, as defined by the State. The New York State Department of Health has over 30 years of experience working on remedial site cleanups across New York State, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The New York State Department of Health's main objective in the remedial site cleanup process is to investigate and minimize, or eliminate the public's exposure to site-related contaminants.
The New York State Department of Health works on:
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Brownfield Remediation and Redevelopment
Brownfield remediation and redevelopment in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The New York State Department of Health's role in this partnership is the protection and promotion of public and community health.
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Great Lakes Region
Brownfield redevelopment through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry funded grants in the Great Lakes region of New York State.
Additional Brownfield Websites
- New York City Office of Environmental Remediation
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- New York State Department of Financial Services
- New York State Department of State
- New York State Department of Transportation
- New York State Empire State Development
- New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation
- New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
- State University of New York Center for Brownfield Studies
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
