Cancer-causing chemicals discovered in Houston Ship Channel sediments as expansion project continues – Houston Public Media

A coalition of Houston-area environmental organizations released test results Tuesday showing concerning levels of cancer-causing chemicals in sediment at the bottom of the Houston Ship Channel. Residents living along the shipping channel say their communities have been significantly impacted by these toxins for decades.

The Healthy Port Communities Coalition found 11 chemicals, including arsenic, dioxins and benzidine, that exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency control levels after reviewing data from the U.S. Corps U.S. Army engineers and samples collected by the coalition. One of the samples had arsenic levels 45 times higher than those considered safe by the EPA.

The Army Corps has collected data related to dredging operations and maintenance along the Ship Channel and Project 11, an expansion effort that aims to widen and deepen the channel by 2027. The problem for residents lies in the dredging process, which results in the removal of contaminated sludge. from the bottom of the shipping channel and buried under man-made hills in nearby communities like Galena Park and Pleasantville.

At a news conference Tuesday, community members, organizers and researchers stood shoulder to shoulder and asked Port of Houston and Army officials to thoroughly test the area for pollutants in order to ensure that neighboring communities are not affected by the expansion project.

“We see no reason why the industries along the ship channel, for whom dredging is intended, and the agencies carrying out the projects, could not afford to pay for the safe removal of sediment in areas that do not affect low water. income communities,” said Naomi Yoder, a researcher at the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University.

In a statement to Houston Public Media, the Port of Houston said it cares “deeply about the health and safety” of neighboring communities and has heard their concerns.

“We have not seen any evidence of contamination or releases in any of the dredged material disposal areas that could pose a danger to human health,” the statement said.

Earlier this year, Amnesty International, a national human rights organization, released a report describing the Houston Ship Channel as a “sacrifice zone,” detailing the impacts of decades of pollution from petrochemical facilities as well as the lack of surveillance on the part of the State and the United States. federal environmental regulators.

The report finds that people living along the 52-mile shipping canal — which are primarily low-income communities with Black and Latino residents — are frequently exposed to known carcinogens and may have a life expectancy of up to 20 years shorter than those who live in a predominantly white area. and rich areas about 15 miles to the west.

“These vulnerable communities face significant risks associated with poor air quality, soil contamination, water contamination and flooding,” Bridgette Murray said during Tuesday’s press conference.

Murray, executive director of Achieving Community Task Successfully in Pleasantville, said many community members have suffered from “respiratory issues, heart and neurological conditions, as well as cancer.” Juan Flores, Galena Park resident and community air monitoring program manager for Air Alliance Houston, is one of those community members.

“Back in the ’80s, I would go play and explore, play on these dredging sites when I was a kid and I’m living proof of what these chemicals can do to you,” Flores said. “My health is suffering because of the chemicals in this area. »

Flores, along with his neighbors, said he would continue to push for more testing in the area.

“We are human beings, we are all human beings, our lives mean so much more,” Flores said. “You have the resources and the money to do more. »