South Fulton County is home to vibrant communities that face a complex set of environmental and health burdens, many of which stem from long-standing industrial activity, underregulated facilities, and aging infrastructure. These burdens fall mostly on predominantly Black neighborhoods, where residents have voiced concerns about air and water quality, unsafe development, and lack of access to care. Science for Georgia, alongside local leaders, organizers, and community members, is working to raise awareness about these issues and promote environmental justice solutions.
Drawing on conversations, data collection efforts, and advocacy from groups such as SEJA and AWLN, this portal provides a centralized, accessible space to better understand the environmental challenges facing South Fulton. We present the latest available data, community-sourced narratives, and areas where further investigation and action are needed.
Table of Contents
Overview
To get a sense of the many connected dimensions of burdens in this region, click through the maps below
Triangles indicate the “Hazardous Waste Sites” in the Hazardous Site Inventory. Triangle color indicates categorization as explained in our guide. Clicking each one includes a link to the EPA for more information.
The blue shades underneath this show the “Environmental Justice Index” created by Science for Georgia in collaboration with the Georgia Water Coalition. The darkest blue regions are the most burdened by compounding harm in the categories: income, climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, traffic pollution, wastewater, and workforce development. Each of these factors can enhance the harm from the others, making it harder for the communities to lift themselves up, improve their environment, their health and thrive.
This map displays the majority race in each region, with yellow indicating majority African American and beige indicating majority white areas. For each color, darker shades indicate locations with larger percentage majority of the dominant race. Click back through the other tabs to see how the yellow (majority-black) regions overlap with other environmental, economic, and health factors.
Darkest colors in this map indicate regions where residents are experiencing the worst Overall Health – a measure that combines health outcomes, prevention measures, health risk behaviors, disability measures, health status, and health-related social needs.
This data comes from PLACES: Local Data for Better Health. This service provides Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) model-based estimates for 40 chronic disease and other health related measures.
- The health outcomes include arthritis, current asthma, high blood pressure, cancer (non-skin) or melanoma, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease, diagnosed diabetes, depression, obesity, all teeth lost, and stroke.
- The prevention measures are health insurance, routine checkup within the past year, visited dentist or dental clinic in the past year, taking medicine to control high blood pressure, cholesterol screening, mammography use for women, and colorectal cancer screening.
- The health risk behaviors are binge drinking, current cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, and short sleep duration.
- The disability measures are six disability types (hearing, vision, cognitive, mobility, self-care, and independent living) and any disability.
- The health status measures are frequent mental distress, frequent physical distress, and poor or fair health.
- The health-related social needs measures are social isolation, food stamps, food insecurity, housing insecurity, utility services threat, transportation barriers, and lack of social and emotional support.
Darkest colors in this map show where adults aged 18–64 are most likely to lack health insurance coverage — a key barrier to receiving preventive care, managing chronic conditions, and seeking timely treatment.
This data comes from PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, a project by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES provides model-based estimates for 40 health indicators at the local level, including chronic disease prevalence, health risk behaviors, and access to care.
Health insurance is one of seven prevention measures included in the broader PLACES dataset, along with rates of routine checkups, dental visits, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, and cancer screenings.
The health insurance measure estimates the proportion of adults aged 18–64 who report having no current health insurance coverage.
Darkest colors in this map show where adults are most likely to experience frequent mental distress — defined as 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days, including stress, depression, or emotional challenges.
This data comes from PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, a project by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES provides model-based estimates for 40 health indicators at the local level, including chronic disease prevalence, health risk behaviors, and access to care.
Frequent mental distress is one of three health status measures included in the broader PLACES dataset, along with frequent physical distress and poor or fair health.
The mental distress measure estimates the proportion of adults aged 18 and older who report poor mental health for at least half of the past month.
Darkest blue and purple regions in this map represent areas with the lowest household incomes, while green areas indicate higher-than-average income levels — with the darkest greens representing the highest income regions.
This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS provides detailed demographic, social, and economic data at the local level, including census tracts and counties.
The income distribution shown here reflects median household income, a common measure used to assess economic well-being. Income levels are influenced by a variety of factors, including employment opportunities, educational attainment, cost of living, and historical patterns of investment and disinvestment.
Understanding local income variation helps contextualize disparities in health, infrastructure, and environmental burdens across different communities.
Industrial Pollution
Many neighborhoods in South Fulton are located close to industrial facilities that have been flagged for environmental violations or community complaints. From heavy truck traffic to chemical odors, residents have reported consistent issues that impact both air quality and soil safety.
Key Issues
Several facilities in South Fulton report regular emissions to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), a federal database that tracks the handling and release of chemicals known to pose risks to human and environmental health.
To estimate the potential impact of these emissions, the EPA created the Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model, which factors in chemical toxicity, exposure pathways, and proximity to people. In Fulton County, one facility’s RSEI score exceeds 4 billion — one of the highest in the entire state — signaling an outsized risk to surrounding communities.
Soil contamination is also a growing concern. Community members have reported plant die-offs, strange odors, and dust accumulation near industrial sites, especially around facilities that handle solvents and sterilants. In some areas, residents suspect unregulated dumping or chemical spills may be contributing to long-term soil toxicity.
For a more detailed breakdown of contaminants and health symptoms, this ATSDR report on PSC Recovery Systems documents specific chemicals found in the area and lists associated health effects — including respiratory problems, neurological symptoms, and skin irritation.
The report investigates environmental contamination and its potential impact on nearby residents, focusing on substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrogen sulfide. Community concerns were centered around foul odors, eye and throat irritation, headaches, and breathing difficulties. These complaints escalated following a wastewater shipment to the facility on June 29, 2006, which led to intense and persistent odors traced to propyl mercaptan, a degradation product of ethoprop. In response to the event, the Georgia Department of Public Health declared a local health emergency in July 2006, and PSC was ordered to cease operations later that month.
To evaluate health impacts, ATSDR assessed air sampling data and conducted a health survey covering May through August 2006, with a focus on the late June incident and resulting chemical exposures.
Reported Symptoms among Survey Respondents
Table 1 in the report presents data from 622 survey respondents, showing the prevalence of various symptoms potentially linked to chemical exposure. The most frequently reported symptoms include:
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Headaches (74.3%)
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Burning eyes (57.7%)
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Cough or sore throat (53.9%)
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Nausea or vomiting (48.7%)
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Difficulty breathing (45.5%)
These symptoms are consistent with exposure to irritants like hydrogen sulfide, which was detected at levels of concern near the site. Gender breakdowns show similar symptom rates across male and female respondents, with some slightly higher reporting among females.
The data underscores the public health concerns surrounding the PSC facility and supports the need for further environmental monitoring and community engagement.
This interactive map visualizes the industrial footprint across South Fulton. Each point represents a specific toxic release event, not an entire facility — meaning a single site may appear multiple times based on different release reports. Rather than focusing on total emissions, the map reveals how releases cluster near homes, parks, and schools. It’s a starting point for understanding the landscape of industrial activity — and how proximity, not just pollution levels, shapes environmental risk.
Several industrial facilities across South and West Fulton contribute significantly to the region’s environmental risk profile. These sites are highlighted on the map above and are linked to high toxic release levels, as measured by the EPA’s Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model.
Primary Location: 4795 Frederick Drive, Atlanta, GA 30336
Located just off Roosevelt Highway in South Fulton, this Owens Corning insulation manufacturing plant is one of the region’s highest-volume industrial polluters. In 2020, the facility reported:
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44 lbs of on-site toxic releases, and
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100,626 lbs of off-site waste transfers,
involving hazardous substances such as lead, xylene, zinc compounds, and hydrochloric acid.
These chemicals are known to affect neurological, respiratory, and reproductive health with chronic exposure. The site’s activity contributes heavily to local environmental burdens, especially for nearby residential neighborhoods such as Cascade Parc, Princeton Lakes, and Deerwood — all located within a few miles of the facility.
These releases rank the Frederick Drive location among the top industrial polluters in Fulton County and contribute to ongoing concerns about air quality and environmental justice in South Atlanta.
Secondary Location: 1325 Oakley Industrial Boulevard, Fairburn, GA 30213
This second Owens Corning facility is located south of I-285 near Fairburn, in a commercial corridor with a high density of manufacturing and shipping operations. While smaller than the Roosevelt Highway site, it still contributes significantly to the area’s toxic release footprint.
Together, these two locations account for a cumulative RSEI hazard score of approximately 4.9 billion, placing Owens Corning among the most hazardous facilities in the metro Atlanta area according to EPA risk screening models.
Location: 540 W. Industrial Court, Villa Rica, GA 30180
Situated just north of Highway 78, west of Douglasville and directly adjacent to the Rolling View Estates neighborhood, this distribution facility lies within a mixed residential-industrial area in southwestern Carroll County.
Chemicals handled at this site include antimony compounds and zinc compounds, which are associated with neurological, respiratory, and reproductive risks under long-term exposure. While the reported release volume is relatively low, off-site disposal routes can still pose indirect environmental risks.
Despite low direct releases, the RSEI Hazard Score for this cluster is 1.37 billion. This high score reflects the toxicity, persistence, and population proximity factors used in EPA’s modeling, indicating that the potential health risk burden remains significant even with minimal on-site emissions.
Location: 1650 Westgate Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30336
Just south of Camp Creek Parkway and west of Campbellton Road, in an industrial area near the East Point Airport and adjacent to residential neighborhoods including Biltmore Estates and Hapeville.
In 2020, this beverage-support facility reported:
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1,295 lbs of on-site toxic chemical releases
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55 lbs of off-site transfers for further management
The facility handles chemicals such as certain glycol ethers and peracetic acid, both of which are known to cause respiratory irritation, neurological effects, and eye and skin irritation with prolonged exposure.
Glycol ethers are widely used as solvents and can impact blood, reproductive systems, the liver, kidneys, and lungs. Peracetic acid is a strong oxidizer that can irritate airways and eyes.
Location: 2030 Riverview Industrial Dr SE, Mableton, GA 30126
Nestled just north of the Chattahoochee River, this coil-coating facility lies southwest of I‑285, in an industrial corridor near Vinings and across the river from Northwest Atlanta.
The facility treats metals with organic coatings, using chemicals such as 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 2-ethoxyethanol, and antimony compounds. These chemicals used and released are known to impact air quality, neurological development, and reproductive health, which matters for nearby communities in Mableton, Vinings, and riverfront neighborhoods.
With a staggering RSEI Hazard Score of approximately 5.99 billion, First American Resources is the highest among nearby industrial facilities.
Location: 6005 Boat Rock Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30336
This ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization facility is located just southwest of I‑285, adjacent to the Riverdale Road corridor and within 1 mile of densely populated residential neighborhoods in South Fulton.
In January 2020, Georgia EPD issued Consent Order No. EPD-AQC-7007, requiring installation of dry-bed reactors to reduce ethylene oxide back-vent emissions by at least 99%, and completion of performance testing to verify compliance. Results from March 11–12, 2020 demonstrated that the controls were functioning as intended, and the order was formally closed that June.
A second Consent Order (EPD-AQC-7039), executed on September 14, 2020, addressed noncompliance issues related to alternative testing methods. It resulted in a $27,000 civil settlement and mandated immediate re-testing following EPA-defined protocols.
In 2021, the EPA designated this facility as subject to mandatory TRI reporting of ethylene oxide emissions — a marked enforcement shift prompted by EtO’s status as a confirmed human carcinogen, documented public health risk, and close proximity to residential communities.
Ethylene oxide is classified by the IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen and is regulated under EPA’s Clean Air Act NESHAP standards for sterilization facilities
Location: 71 Barnett Road, Forest Park, GA 30297
Situated just south of East Point along Barnett Road, this resin-manufacturing plant lies in an industrial zone nestled between Forest Park and the Atlanta–Fayette County border.
Key chemicals include a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and resin precursors such as 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 4,4′-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, glycol ethers, styrene, xylene, toluene diisocyanates, and other aromatic solvents. These substances are associated with potential respiratory irritation, neurological effects, liver and kidney impacts, and are considered toxic air pollutants.
This facility has a RSEI Hazard Score of approximately 645 million, which poses considerable toxic exposure risks to surrounding neighborhoods, including Forest Park residences and communities along Headland Drive and Clifton Springs Road.
Residents in Oakley Township and surrounding neighborhoods have voiced concerns about poor air quality, frequent chemical smells, and dust buildup on homes and vehicles.
You can view Georgia EPD’s Enforcement Actions for documented violations and inspections.
Westside Lead: A Federal Concern
The westside of Atlanta has been declared a “Superfund Site” due to the presence of high quantities of lead in the soil. This problem has arisen from a long running practice of dumping “Slag” in residential areas. Slag is a byproduct of smelting and the metal industry, and the resulting deposit looks very much like a rock, although containing high quantities of heavy metals such as lead which can make their way into soil and water.
The region of concern extends over a large section of Atlanta’s westside, however, the issues of slag and lead are hardly confined to those areas. Areas with high levels of lead have been identified all over the city, and the process of understanding where further lead contamination might arise is ongoing.
Why All This Matters
Industrial facilities in South Fulton are situated in neighborhoods that already face significant health and socioeconomic challenges. According to the Fulton County Board of Health’s 2020 Community Health Assessment, residents in South Fulton experience high barriers to accessing healthcare, including provider shortages and transportation issues. These systemic issues contribute to elevated rates of chronic diseases, such as asthma, which are exacerbated by environmental pollutants.
Water & Watersheds
Access to clean water is a growing concern in South Fulton. the region intersects three major watersheds: the Chattahoochee in the northwest, the South River leading to the Ocmulgee to the east and the Flint River which originates underneath the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport! Aging infrastructure, hazardous waste sites, and limited monitoring have led many residents to ask: What’s in our waterways?
The Tift Site
The Tift Site is a Class 1 hazardous waste site in East Point, listed by Georgia EPD in 1995 as requiring cleanup. Regulatory records indicate it has remained unremediated for decades, with contaminants — including heavy metals — documented in soil and groundwater.
The site is located behind an elementary school, and nearby residents have reported periods when water appears bright neon blue. Contaminated groundwater flows into the headwaters of the South River, where discoloration and foaming have been observed downstream.
Regulatory agencies have noted the site’s contamination for years, but it remains on the hazardous site list without cleanup. According to EPA EJScreen, the surrounding community ranks in the 94th percentile nationwide for residents of color living near environmental hazards.
Community-led sampling, especially around the Tift Site and South River, has revealed signs of serious water contamination:
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E. coli contamination, pointing to sewage presence
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Heavy metals, including lead and manganese
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Foamy water and bright discoloration, especially near schools and residential areas
These results come from grassroots testing efforts organized by local leaders like Opal Baker, along with researchers at CSAW who use community-based participatory research to identify and analyze pollutants.
Learn more about the problems in the South River from American Rivers!
More data is being collected to better understand water quality in the area. Residents have called for stronger monitoring, transparency, and urgent action to ensure the water is safe to drink, bathe in, and live near.
Residents and researchers are working together to demand action and uncover the full extent of contamination.
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CSAW at Georgia State University, led by researchers like Dr. Richard Milligan, Dr. Sarah Ledford, Finn Gillette, and Wisdom Akanmisikum, and others, are partnering with East Point residents to push for cleanup at the long-neglected Tift Site.
- Learn more about their work here: Forward Together Against Hazardous Waste in Atlanta
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The Ubuntu Group in East Point is organizing community discussions and sharing resources to raise awareness about ongoing pollution concerns.
- Learn more about this group: South Fulton nonprofit empowers residents to advocate for themselves
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Opal Baker and Forward Together East Point are working to amplify resident voices and push for local government accountability around site cleanup and safe development.
- Learn more about Opal Baker here: “We still have to fight to breathe clean air.”
These efforts aim to connect research, community knowledge, and policy to drive meaningful change.
The Consent Decree
Atlanta is under a federal consent decree to fix aging sewage systems that impact our local watersheds. This affects parts of South Fulton because creeks like Utoy and Camp Creek start in Atlanta and flow downstream into South Fulton neighborhoods.
In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), and the City of Atlanta reached a legal agreement to stop chronic sewage spills that were polluting local rivers and creeks. This court-enforced agreement—called a Consent Decree—requires the City of Atlanta to invest billions of dollars to repair and replace faulty sewer infrastructure.
So far, this program has reduced sewer overflows by over 90%, but work is still ongoing in key areas.
Even though the Consent Decree targets Atlanta, several creeks that begin in the city—like Utoy Creek, Camp Creek, and South River tributaries—flow into South Fulton. If there’s a sewage spill upstream, South Fulton residents could be affected by polluted water, fish kills, or unsafe recreational use.
Understanding the Consent Decree helps make sense of why water quality issues don’t always stay within city lines.
No, South DeKalb County has its own separate Consent Decree. Both involve sewer overflows, but they are handled by different governments and cover different geographic areas.
Here is a link to a map of the e. coli presence in the Chattahoochee River:
Check out these links to learn more:
Health Impacts
Residents of South Fulton face significant health challenges linked to the industrial facilities and environmental conditions surrounding their neighborhoods. These facilities emit a range of harmful chemicals, and the community’s proximity to major highways and flight paths adds additional layers of exposure. When these stressors accumulate, they contribute to what’s known as the exposome — the total burden of environmental exposures on a person’s health over time.
Key Chemicals of Concern
Manganese is a naturally occurring metal that becomes a concern when found at high levels in air, soil, or water — often near industrial sites or old infrastructure. It’s commonly released by metal processing, welding, or facilities that produce steel and batteries.
Once released, manganese can settle in dust or contaminate drinking water through pipes or runoff. Long-term exposure, especially through inhalation or ingestion, has been linked to cognitive and neurological decline — particularly affecting children and older adults.
In South Fulton, where industrial activity and aging infrastructure overlap with residential areas, manganese pollution adds another layer of risk to already overburdened communities.
Ethylene oxide is a gas used to sterilize medical equipment and manufacture chemicals like antifreeze. It’s often released by industrial sterilization facilities or chemical plants.
Because it’s a gas, it moves easily through the air and can linger in neighborhoods downwind of emitting facilities. Ethylene oxide is classified as a known human carcinogen — meaning it’s strongly linked to cancer. Long-term exposure is associated with increased risks of breast cancer and lymphoid cancers.
Communities in South Fulton living near commercial sterilizers or industrial corridors may face elevated risks due to ongoing emissions and limited enforcement.
Cobalt is a metal used in batteries, metal alloys, and pigments. It’s released by mining, smelting, and manufacturing — and can also show up in waste from landfills or recycling operations.
Cobalt pollution can travel through the air in dust or seep into soil and groundwater through improper waste disposal. With long-term exposure, cobalt can harm the lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys, especially when inhaled in particulate form.
Because of the range of industrial sources and its lasting health effects, cobalt is an important part of the broader pollution picture in South Fulton — especially in areas near legacy waste sites or ongoing industrial activity.
Chromium is used in electroplating, leather tanning, and stainless steel production. The most dangerous form — hexavalent chromium — is a byproduct of these processes and a well-documented toxicant.
It spreads through both air and water, and can contaminate soil and groundwater near factories or waste sites. Exposure through inhalation or drinking water is linked to asthma, respiratory irritation, and long-term lung damage.
Hexavalent chromium is a particular concern for frontline communities, and its presence near homes, schools, or waterways adds to the environmental burden already experienced by many residents in South Fulton.
South Fulton communities experience higher rates of respiratory illness compared to surrounding regions. These health disparities reflect long-term exposure to industrial pollutants, vehicle emissions, and other environmental stressors.
Asthma, in particular, affects a disproportionate number of residents — a pattern clearly illustrated in the map below. Drawing on CDC PLACES data, the map highlights census tracts where asthma prevalence is highest, offering a visual link between place-based exposures and health outcomes.
If you or your neighbors are experiencing health issues and live near one of the facilities listed above, please scroll down to fill out our community health survey. Your input helps us better understand the impacts of industrial pollution in your area and advocate for meaningful change.
Community Action
Environmental burdens don’t impact all communities equally — and residents of South Fulton have been organizing to push for change. From Oakley Township to East Point, community leaders and neighbors are calling attention to pollution, demanding accountability, and building systems of care and advocacy.
Local Leadership: SEJA
The Southside Environmental Justice Alliance (SEJA) was founded through the Shaheed DuBois Community Grant Program at Emory University. SEJA’s mission is to address their concerns with industrial pollution in South Fulton through education, direct action, and community-based research.
SEJA brings together residents, educators, and organizers to monitor environmental health, advocate for policy change, and support neighborhood resilience.
Science for Georgia has been collaborating with SEJA over the past two years equipping residents with information on environmental hazards and advice to keep themselves safe, including our pamphlet, community workshops, and leading up to this community education data portal.
Oakley Township Organizing
While these industrial zones impact the entire South Fulton community, those living in closest proximity face the greatest risks.
Oakley Township, for example, is a predominantly Black neighborhood situated in a “formerly industrial” zone where families live within direct exposure range to harmful pollutants. As a result, they experience more environmental adverse effects than many other parts of South Fulton. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, this proximity leads to a higher burden of disease.
Oakley Township is bordered by facilities like Owens Corning Insulating Systems, Sterilization Services of Georgia, and SVC Manufacturing — all of which have raised environmental health concerns in the surrounding area. Residents have reported chemical smells, dust buildup, and symptoms consistent with long-term pollutant exposure. In response, neighbors began organizing — forming coalitions, collaborating with universities, and launching environmental monitoring efforts to hold polluters accountable.
“This is the first time I’ve lived in a predominantly Black community since I was born — and there’s something different about it.”
— Yvonne Boone, Oakley Township resident
That “something different,” Boone explains, is a deep-rooted sense of collective care and urgency. Facing real environmental threats, neighbors built a grassroots movement rooted in community knowledge and shared responsibility.
Today, Oakley Township stands out as a hub for environmental justice leadership in South Fulton — a testament to how lived experience and local action can fuel meaningful, community-led change.
Click below to explore how residents and advocates are working together to confront environmental injustice in South Fulton:
South Fulton Neighbors Partner to Research Pollution – WABE
Oakley Township residents team up with Georgia Tech to monitor air pollution and push for accountability through community-led science.
Industrial Air Pollution & Environmental Injustice – SELC
SELC breaks down how industrial pollution harms frontline communities — and the legal strategies being used to fight back.
Take Action
Use this form below to report your concerns you have seen as a resident in Fulton County. Take a second to think, sometimes we don’t realize what we have seen around us, who has gotten sick for unexplained reasons, and how all this compares to other places you know about.
Reach out to your South Fulton city council member or county commissioner. Share your experiences and ask what steps they are taking to protect your neighborhood from industrial pollution.
Want to connect with neighbors who are organizing around environmental justice in South Fulton? Join the SEJA facebook group!