Many contaminated waste sites were deliberately placed near populations lacking the political and economic power necessary to resist their designation. Communities living near these spaces often face socioeconomic disadvantages, and have no choice but to cope with proximity to toxics and any illnesses that might come with their exposure. A cycle of burdens is thus created: one that links financial and health problems to communities who lack the resources needed to protect themselves from exposure and spearhead remediation efforts. If accidents occur, like a leak or crash while transporting raw materials, contaminants can poison surrounding neighborhoods and even entire ecosystems.

Nuclear waste presents its own challenges. Communities living near reactors are affected by the entire nuclear fuel chain: from mining and milling, to transport and decommissioning. There is also no national solution for storing nuclear waste. Spent fuel rods and other toxic byproducts remain hazardous for thousands of years: far outlasting the reactors themselves. Consequently, communities sitting adjacent to nuclear reactors can be stuck with highly radioactive waste for decades or even centuries.