How to check for industrial pollution near a home

Every Consilium Compare report gives each ZIP code a 0–10 environmental concern score. It starts with the EPA's data on nearby industrial chemical releases, then layers on current environmental incidents that Consilium captures, records, and scores, such as chemical spills, hazardous-material incidents, floods, and earthquakes, side by side for two places. The report also names the nearby facilities, with distances and pounds released, and adds air-quality readings. $1.99 at our launch price.

How the Consilium environmental concern score works

The foundation: EPA release data. We start with years of reported chemical releases from industrial facilities near each ZIP code, from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory: how close the facilities are, how much they release, and what kinds of chemicals are involved, scaled against places nationwide.
The current layer: environmental incidents. Consilium's monitoring pipeline captures environmental events as they're reported, including chemical spills, hazardous-material incidents, floods, and earthquakes, then records, attributes, and scores them, so the score reflects recent activity, not only annual federal filings. Where recent incident data is thin, the score leans more on the EPA foundation.
One comparable score. We combine both into a 0–10 concern score for each ZIP. Higher means more concern. The facilities, air readings, and mapped incidents behind it appear right next to the score, so you can see what's driving it.

For more, see how Consilium's concern scores work.

Why annual release data alone falls short

It's late. Facilities report releases once a year, and the numbers are published well after the year ends.
It misses events. A spill, a train derailment, a chemical fire, or a flood isn't part of a facility's routine annual report.
It covers only certain sources. Federal reporting applies to certain industries and chemicals above set thresholds.

What a Consilium report shows you

An environmental concern score for each place, 0–10, built on EPA release data and current incidents. Higher means more concern.
Named facilities nearby: how many report chemical releases within 5 and 10 miles of each ZIP, and the closest ones by name, with distance and pounds released on-site.
Severity bands: each facility is tagged Minimal, Moderate, or Elevated based on its reported release volume, so the biggest sources stand out.
Mapped environmental incidents recorded near each ZIP.
Air quality: averages and peaks for pollutants like ozone and fine particles, from monitors near each ZIP.

For example, Montclair, New Jersey, has 79 reporting facilities within 10 miles and Sewell has 19. But the largest single release near either one is Johnson Matthey, about 6 miles from Sewell, at roughly 9,600 pounds. A raw count alone would have pointed the wrong way.

How to read the numbers

Pounds and distance together matter. A large release a mile away is a different situation from a few pounds ten miles off.
More facilities isn't always worse. Many report very small amounts.
Reported releases aren't your exposure. Wind, water flow, and how a chemical is released all affect what reaches a home.

What a report can't tell you

Every source. Small businesses, old gas station tanks, and highway traffic may not appear.
Health effects. For health questions, talk to your state or local health department.

Before you buy

Ask the seller and your agent whether they know of any contamination, cleanup, or old industrial use on or next to the property. If the home is near a former gas station, dry cleaner, or factory, your state environmental agency can tell you whether the site has a cleanup record.

FAQ

How do I find out if there's a factory near a house?

A Consilium Compare report lists the named industrial facilities near each ZIP code, with distances and pounds released.

Is it bad to live near an industrial facility?

Not necessarily. Look at how much it releases, how close it is, and which way it sits from the home. Many report small amounts.

What does the Consilium environmental concern score measure?

A 0–10 score that combines EPA data on nearby industrial chemical releases with current environmental incidents Consilium captures, such as spills, hazardous-material incidents, floods, and earthquakes. Higher means more concern.

Does Consilium measure air quality?

Each report includes readings from EPA monitors near each ZIP, along with industrial release data and recorded incidents.

For more on reading the industrial section of a report, see what TRI facility data means.