The 02222 zip code area of Boston, Massachusetts, currently holds a critical environmental hazard designation due to heavy industrial contamination. This high-risk status is driven by forty-six tracked environmental hazard sites within a ten-mile radius, including sixteen sites within just five miles. The most significant local concern is the Coal Tar Processing Facility (Former), an active federal Superfund site located 2.1 miles from the center of this zip code. Other proximate active facilities include the US Coast Guard Integrated Support Command located just 0.63 miles away.

The primary environmental threats stem from unspecified hazardous substances associated with legacy coal tar processing and military operations. These contaminants generally include volatile organic compounds and heavy metals that infiltrate local soil and groundwater. Prolonged exposure to such chemical profiles elevates the risk of respiratory irritation, neurological impairment, and chronic systemic illnesses, particularly when subterranean contamination is disturbed during urban development.

The Environmental Protection Agency maintains the Coal Tar Processing Facility (Former) on the active National Priorities List, indicating that remedial design and active cleanup phases are currently ongoing to contain hazardous off-site migration. Given the density of these active contamination zones, residents must implement stringent daily safety measures. Individuals should install certified reverse osmosis water filtration systems to capture potential chemical runoff from residential tap water. Furthermore, residents should utilize high-efficiency particulate air purifiers indoors to reduce exposure to vapor intrusion and airborne soil particulate matter. Finally, households must avoid cultivating edible plants directly in native urban soil, exclusively utilizing raised beds with imported, certified-clean topsoil instead.