Rensselaer County, NY

ZIP 12196

In ZIP 12196, 4 of the 12 things we check have at least one part graded D or F.

• Drinking water: Poestenkill Wd#1 meets every EPA legal limit; 6 contaminants are above health goals, led by chloroform at 148× California’s Public Health Goal.
• Nearest Superfund site: Mercury Refining, Inc., 7.1 miles away (2 within 10 miles).
• Largest share of modeled toxic air from industry: US Army - Watervliet Arsenal (52%), mostly chromium compounds.
• Fine particles (PM2.5) average 7.0 µg/m³; the WHO guideline is 5 and the EPA annual standard is 9.
• About 42,089 kg of agricultural pesticides are applied in the county each year.

Grades for ZIP 12196

• Superfund sites nearbyC to F
• Factories and industrial sitesA to C
• Oil and gas wellsA
• Parks and nature nearbyC
• Air qualityA to B
• Drinking water qualityC to D
• Pesticide useD
• Neighborhood health statusB to C
• Past wildfire impactsA
• Past flood impactsC
• Noise levelsA
• Radiation signalsD

Based on 5 census tracts · compiled September 10, 2026 · how each grade works and its sources

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