Home hazard report for 12196 — West Sand Lake, NY
ZIP 12196 is served by Brookside Senior Housing: no health-based violations since 2016, latest lead result 1 ppb, PFAS not tested. Rensselaer County is in EPA radon zone 1.
No health-based violations reported since 2016.
90th-percentile lead in the latest round (Jan 2021). Lead comes mostly from household plumbing and service lines, so individual homes can be higher.
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Predicted average indoor radon above 4 pCi/L — EPA’s action level. Test your home.
FEMA’s overall natural-hazard risk for this census tract, relative to the rest of the U.S.
The nearest active Superfund site is 5.6 miles away.
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Where ZIP 12196 is
Dashed: ZIP area · blue: utility service area · scroll or pinch to zoomDrinking water: Brookside Senior Housing
Health-based violations
No health-based violations reported since 2016.
Full record for Brookside Senior Housing →
Other systems overlapping this ZIP: Westfall Village.
Lead
90th-percentile lead per sampling round (90% of the homes sampled were at or below this level). Black line: EPA’s 15 ppb action level; under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements the action level becomes 10 ppb from 2027.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5).
Radon in Rensselaer County
EPA radon zone 1 — highest potential. Predicted average indoor radon above 4 pCi/L — EPA’s action level. Test your home.
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas from soil and rock, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above and considering it from 2 pCi/L. A short-term test kit costs about $15–30. How radon zones work →
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the overall natural-hazard risk of this neighborhood (census tract) as Very Low, with very low social vulnerability and very high community resilience.
FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025): expected annual losses from each hazard combined with social vulnerability and community resilience, rated relative to all U.S. census tracts. Hazards not listed are not applicable here. It describes the area, not a single building; flood insurance maps (FEMA FIRMs) decide flood-insurance requirements.
Live conditions: river gauges and flood levels · tornado warnings · wildfire detections · earthquakes — our sister maps, updated from NOAA, USGS and NASA every few minutes.
Superfund sites nearby
| Site | Status | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dewey Loeffel Landfill Nassau, New York · EPA ID NYD000512335 | Active (final NPL) | 5.6 mi |
EPA Superfund National Priorities List (NPL): the country’s most serious known hazardous-waste sites, each with an EPA cleanup record (linked). Distance is measured from the ZIP center to the site’s reference point; being near a site does not by itself mean exposure — EPA site pages describe what was found and how it is being cleaned up.
What this is — and isn’t. These are records your water utility and state reported to the EPA, and the EPA’s radon map for your county. They describe the system and the area, not the water from your own tap or the air in your home. For that, read your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report and test: lead and radon tests are inexpensive.
Questions about 12196
Who supplies drinking water to ZIP 12196?
Brookside Senior Housing (EPA ID NY4130001), a groundwater (wells) system serving about 40 people.
Is there lead in West Sand Lake, NY tap water?
The utility’s latest 90th-percentile lead result (Jan 2021) was 1 ppb; EPA’s action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb from 2027. Lead mostly comes from service lines and home plumbing, so the only way to know your tap is to test it.
Does West Sand Lake, NY water have PFAS?
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Has the water system in 12196 had violations?
No health-based violations reported since 2016.
What natural hazards affect ZIP 12196?
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk here as Very Low; the highest-rated hazards are hail (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively low), hurricane (relatively low).
Are there Superfund sites near 12196?
The nearest active Superfund site is 5.6 miles away. Sites within 10 miles: Dewey Loeffel Landfill (5.6 mi, Active (final NPL)).
Is radon a problem in Rensselaer County?
Rensselaer County is in EPA radon zone 1 (highest potential). Predicted average indoor radon above 4 pCi/L — EPA’s action level. Test your home.