Science and Technology of New York City

The author Sandra George O’Neil is a sociology professor in Curry College and specializes in social inequality with a Ph. D. in sociology. In this source, she evaluates the general inequality of Superfund sites and how Executive Order 12898 affects the quality of the people who live there. O’Neil claims that Superfund sites only occur in areas with wealthier citizens and uses data from the census to support her claims. She also claims and cites from sources that some Superfund sites are selected mainly because they require little work to clean.

The intended audience for this paper is individuals who are interested in sociology, equality, and environmentalism. There is some form of bias in the article because O’Neil spends a lot of her effort empathizing that there isn’t social equality and that even with a new Executive Order, there hasn’t been any real change in equality. An important thing to note is that although O’Neil makes many claims that Superfund sites aren’t equal, many of them are cited to make her appear less biased.

The article’s strength is in its data as it is constantly cited. As for weaknesses, it seems too repetitive in nature because it’s pretty much repeating idea that Superfund sites aren’t equal. This paper supports my project because I’m planning to show the gentrification that occurs within Gowanus Canal, which is another Superfund site that borders the wealthy neighborhood of Park Slope. The material here is rather relevant because this can be used as a source when stating how the Gowanus Canal became a Superfund site.