Superfund Sites in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has one of the highest concentrations of EPA Superfund toxic waste sites in the United States. As of 2024, there are approximately 20 active Superfund sites on the island, with dozens more contaminated areas not yet listed.

The contamination is a direct legacy of Operation Bootstrap and its successors. Beginning in the 1950s, U.S. pharmaceutical companies, chemical manufacturers, and electronics firms established factories in Puerto Rico, attracted by tax incentives (Section 936) and weaker environmental enforcement than on the mainland.

Key sites include:
- RCA del Caribe (Barceloneta): RCA/GE contaminated groundwater with industrial solvents, affecting the water supply for over 40,000 people
- Vega Baja Solid Waste Disposal area
- Pesticide Warehouse III (Arecibo)
- Upjohn Facility (Barceloneta): Pharmaceutical waste contamination
- Fibers Public Supply Wells (Jobos)

The pharmaceutical corridor in northern Puerto Rico, running through Barceloneta, Manatí, and Arecibo, has some of the highest cancer rates on the island. Communities near Superfund sites report elevated rates of cancer, birth defects, respiratory disease, and neurological conditions.

Cleanup has been painfully slow. Many sites have been on the Superfund list for over 30 years with incomplete remediation. Environmental justice advocates argue that the EPA applies less urgency to cleanup in Puerto Rico than to comparable sites on the mainland.