Final answer:
A 'Superfund site' is one that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and poses a significant risk to human health and/or the environment, requiring cleanup overseen by the EPA. The correct option that defines a Superfund site is 'c' regarding sites with significant hazard from hazardous chemicals.
Step-by-step explanation:
A Superfund site is a term used to describe a location in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress in 1980 in response to the alarming number of abandoned hazardous waste sites, exemplified by the Love Canal disaster.
The correct answer to the student's question is: c. these are sites in which there is a significant hazard to humans and/or the environment due to the release of hazardous chemicals. Sites listed on the Superfund's National Priorities List are the most contaminated and require significant cleanup efforts to mitigate their dangers. Superfund's goal is to clean up these hazardous sites and to protect the health and welfare of communities living near them.
Not all environmental disasters become stories in the headlines, but for those living close to the affected areas, such as Centralia and Hinkley, the reality of contamination is an everyday concern, with potential long-term health consequences, such as cancer clusters. The process of selecting sites for hazardous waste facilities takes into account many factors including economic feasibility, geological suitability, and political considerations, and although the need for such facilities arises from our industrial society's production of wastes, future site selections must be made with greater social sensitivity.