(NEXSTAR) – For many, visiting a park can feel like a reprieve, pulling you into nature and away from the cluttered, dirty reality of the world. A new study found that those pristine outdoor spaces may not be so far removed from pollution and toxic waste as you may have guessed.
Researchers from the University of Michigan reviewed more than 151,000 public parks throughout the U.S. and found more than half are within two miles of an industrial facility that handles toxic chemicals.
Nearly 27,000 parks were found to be near sites that have been deemed so contaminated, they are dubbed Superfund sites. More than 2,400 of these parks have land that directly overlaps a Superfund site…