Residents and local officials have long blamed the high number of cancer cases on contamination from a rail yard originally owned by Southern Pacific and later bought by Union Pacific near two historically Black neighborhoods, Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens. The wood preservative creosote, which has been associated with an increased risk of contracting cancer, was used for more than 80 years at the site until the 1980s. City officials say the contamination has reached the groundwater in the neighborhoods.
During a city council meeting in which the funding was approved, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Houston “has a moral obligation” to help relocate residents away from the four different cancer clusters that have been identified in recent years. Health officials have found higher rates of respiratory cancers as well as childhood cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
It’s great this is happening, but in a just world Union Pacific would be forking over $5MM, not everyone else.
That’s not very much money at all to relocate people. This is maybe enough for 25 households.
Of course it just so happens they’ll be moving people from some of the poorest neighborhoods breaking up the community and diluting their votes elsewhere. It’s not specifically the reason for doing this, but is definitely a side effect
Good on them for doing something.
In Houston, maybe 20. They’re working on getting more funding, according to the article, but they definitely need more.
