Thousands of toxic sites across US face risk of coastal flooding

Study finds rising seas could flood facilities handling waste, sewage, and oil and gas - and coastal states most at risk

More than 5,500 toxic sites nationwide could face coastal flooding by 2100 due to rising sea levels, according to new research.

The study, published on Thursday in Nature Communications and led by scientists at the University of California, warns that if heat-trapping pollution continues unabated, rising seas will flood a wide range of hazardous facilities including those handling sewage, toxic waste, oil and gas, as well as other industrial pollutants.