A report, compiled by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, used data from the Department of Health to determine if residents living close to areas designated by the city as Superfund Sites show related illnesses.

The study revealed greater levels of illnesses and deaths due to the presence of certain toxins in the 21 neighborhoods where the dumps are located.

People who live close to the toxic waste sites are more susceptible to developing illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and lung cancer, according to the study.

Gotbaum said that the study does not provide conclusive evidence that the toxic waste dumps make people sick. She stated that they would continue to investigate the health effects on residents who live close to toxic waste.

More than $3 million earmarked by the state government for cleaning and relocating the waste ran out two years ago. After releasing the results of the study, Gotbaum is asking the governor and state legislators to provide more funds to finish the clean-up and stop the health problems caused by the waste.

Draft legislation presented by Assembly Member Thomas P. DiNapoli would provide $200 million annually in bonds to refinance the clean-up. The expenses would be shared equally between the public and private sectors.

The clean-up program was created in 1986 to decontaminate Superfund Sites not covered under federal laws. Two thirds of the funds were provided by the parties found responsible for the contamination.

Of the five boroughs, Queens has 16 toxic areas. Brooklyn and Staten Island have nine each, the Bronx has three and Manhattan has one.