Residents not told of cancer link for months
More studies, testing urged after state finds cluster near rail yard
The Texas Department of State Health Services assessment that found a cancer cluster in the north Houston neighborhoods of Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens was not disclosed to residents for nearly four months after the conclusion was reached.
The study, which was public in August but not communicated to residents until early December, according to residents and city officials, has spurred calls from politicians and local officials for more health studies and environmental testing. The cluster was found near a rail yard site known to be contaminated by creosote, a probable cancer-causing substance, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Greater-than-expected rates of adult cancers were identified in 10 census tracts near the Englewood Rail Yard, owned by railroad company Union Pacific since 1996, where creosote, a wood preservative, was used to treat railroad ties for de
cades until the 1980s. Creosote, absorbed into the ground, formed a plume that moved beneath an estimated 110 properties in the area.
“I am so angry,” said Leisa Glenn, who owns a home in the area and organized with other residents to call for more extensive cleanup efforts, after finding out the study was published in August. “That’s not showing consideration for us. It’s like they don’t care if we die.”
Delayed notification
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state’s environmental agency responsible for overseeing remediation of the contamination, agreed at an April town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, to request a cancer cluster study from the Texas Department of State Health Services. TCEQ requested the study at the end of that month, according to emails between Jackson Lee’s office and TCEQ.
DSHS published a report on Aug. 13 that found the area had greater-than-expected incidences of lung and bronchus, esophagus and larynx cancers between 2000 and 2016. Per the agency’s policy, DSHS sent the results back to the requester — in this case, TCEQ — in addition to publishing the results on its website.
“Our understanding was that TCEQ provided the report to the community, including local officials,” Lara Anton, press officer for DSHS, said in an emailed statement.
Jackson Lee’s office, which had requested an update on the study in June, received a response from TCEQ on Aug. 20, according to Robin Chand, the representative’s communications director, who said a news release about the findings was issued to the public in September, though the release could not be found on the representative’s social media accounts or website.
“Our office notified the community through an announcement after (the report) was presented to us,” Jackson Lee said. “I applaud the agencies that subsequently found out the information.”
According to the state health department’s protocol for responding to cancer cluster concerns,
“I am so angry. That’s not showing consideration for us. It’s like they don’t care if we die.” Leisa Glenn, homeowner
final results of a cancer cluster assessment should be sent to “concerned citizen(s) and relevant local officials, and posted on the DSHS website.”
The city, however, said it was not made aware of the results until much later.
“The city found no record showing that the mayor or any of its other relevant officials received notification of the report before Nov. 15,” Alan Bernstein, a mayoral spokesperson, said in an email.
Bernstein said the city became aware of the report only after Loren Hopkins, the Houston Health Department’s chief environmental science officer, followed up with DSHS to request a cancer cluster analysis.
Upon receiving the results, the city contacted members of IMPACT, the community group leading neighborhood efforts to address the contamination. IMPACT and the city’s health department then hosted the Dec. 3 community meeting at which nearby residents were made aware of the cancer cluster assessment’s findings.
Union Pacific said it was also not made aware of the cancer cluster study until last week, Raquel Espinoza, a spokesperson for Union Pacific, told the Chronicle.
In a statement, Andrew Keese, spokesperson for TCEQ, said the agency had updated Jackson Lee’s office after receiving the report, and did not specifically address why the agency did not inform the city of Houston as well.
Further testing urged
Jackson Lee requested on Dec. 7 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency complete an investigation of cancer clusters in the area. The EPA, in a statement, said the agency received the letter Tuesday, but declined to provide a comment regarding what efforts the agency might undertake.
Jackson Lee called the cancer cluster assessment by the state’s health department “crucial” to the efforts to address potential health risks in the community, and said she is working to determine if other federal agencies have jurisdiction to investigate health and environmental concerns in the area.
“We’re looking for accountability,” Jackson Lee said. “There needs to be more work. I am looking to get as much relief to the community as possible.”
She said her office plans to host a community meeting featuring cancer and environmental experts as quickly as possible regarding the cancer cluster assessment and health concerns in the community.
The city’s health department said it would also conduct more research in the area. Hopkins, the chief environmental science officer at the Houston Health Department, said the city would conduct its own independent environmental sampling of the area, conduct a door-to-door health survey and request more analysis of the identified cancer cluster.
Espinoza of Union Pacific said in a statement Tuesday that the company has reached out to the state’s health department for more information about its findings.
“Union Pacific understands the community is concerned,” she wrote. “We will continue to consult with all regulatory agencies and consider their input as we work in coordination with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Union Pacific will also continue communicating with the community.”
Drinking water safe
The city in July sampled drinking water in the area, which is provided by the municipality and not drawn from groundwater, which is contaminated. Drinking water was found to be safe.
The city did find contamination in stormwater drains in October. It did not find evidence of contamination in surface drainage following rain after testing in November.
One of the ongoing exposure concerns, according to experts, is the potential for vapor intrusion into nearby homes. Essentially, harmful chemicals that make up creosote could evaporate through the soil and may pose a health risk to those living above the plume. TCEQ asked the company to conduct tests on this possibility. Union Pacific, according to TCEQ documents, tested its monitoring wells and found contamination was below the EPA’s vapor intrusion screening level.
However, TCEQ said further tests of this possibility were still necessary, and Union Pacific agreed at the end of October to do further testing and install soil gas probes in the area to detect vapor intrusion.
“There is no scientific evidence of a creosote exposure pathway to residents,” Espinoza said in the statement.
Rodrigo Cantú, an attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid, a free legal aid provider working on behalf of residents in negotiations TCEQ and Union Pacific, said that in addition to testing, his clients want the state to require the company to do more extraction of contaminants.
“We’re pushing for better science,” Cantú said. “We still don't think (Union Pacific) has complied with their obligation to demonstrate that (vaporization) is not a mode of exposure to contaminants from the plume.”
The monitoring wells will be sampled every other month until the company submits an amended plan to address the contamination in the area, according to the company’s response to TCEQ. The next scheduled sampling event is in January.
“TCEQ continues to oversee cleanup activities being conducted at the site,” Keese, spokesperson for TCEQ, wrote in a statement. “TCEQ will host a public meeting when the pending permit application is complete.”