EPA shares soil testing results to Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens residents in known cancer cluster
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The federal government will soon release the results of soil tests from Houston's Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods. The area has been known as a cancer cluster because of an old rail yard.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is urging residents there to attend a Thursday evening community meeting hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA has already found higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals in the yard, which is used to burn wood with creosote, surrounding the former Union Pacific Railroad.
PREVIOUS REPORT: 'Highly toxic' cancer-causing compounds outside Fifth Ward recreation facility, according to EPA
For years, ABC13 has reported on the issue impacting people who have long said that something in the soil is making them sick.
"We're hurting down here, and we should be able to have the right to have a decent neighborhood," a resident told Eyewitness News in 2023.
Authorities said the EPA and Union Pacific are conducting multiple rounds of sampling to determine how contaminated vapors may have traveled through groundwater. The testing has included schools, parks, and other public areas.
On Thursday, EPA officials will update neighbors on the investigation's progress and share testing results so far.
The meeting took place at the Carl R. Walker Jr. Multipurpose Center on Thursday evening.
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SEE PREVIOUS REPORTING:
Deadline approaches for homeowners in known cancer cluster to allow soil testing for contamination
