2015 Redistribution of Harris County Waste Facilities, City of Houston, Texas

Richard Velez, Ph.D. student

Walden University

PUBH 8165-10

Instructor: Dr. Robert Marino

Spring 2010

2015 Outline of Redistribution of Harris County Waste Facilities Five Year Plan

Aim of this presentation is to present information in supportof a five year redistribution of waste facilities:• Present a five year plan for the future “Superfund” sites

placement. • Discuss learning outcomes. • Present information on increased incidence of disease from

“Superfund” sites.• Discuss site redistribution points. • View location map and names of “Superfund” sites in Harris

County.• Discuss an opportunity to use county land between Katy and

Tomball, Texas for location of new “Superfund” sites.• Summary of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund).

Learning Outcomes

Audience will gain knowledge of:• Five year vision for site placement. • “Superfund” sites incidence of disease.• Redistribution of “Superfund” sites.• Locations of existing “Superfund” sites and there

names. • Locations of for new “Superfund” sites. • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) law

which govern “Superfund” sites.

2015 Organization of Redistribution of Harris County Waste Facilities Five Year Plan

• State, city, county governments, public health, private business, and communities will meet and plan a five year venture for the movement of existing/rebuilding of new sites.

• New organization leadership must be unified. • Ethically sound discussion will draw on benchmarks/best

practices from “Superfund” sites from the United States and around the world.

• Five year vision, goals and mission statement will be put in place.

• Six-sigma data management will be used for time-line/ construction.

Introduction to the relationship between Disease and “Superfund” sites

Incidence of Disease

Clusters of cancer mortality in New Jersey municipalities: with special reference to chemical toxic waste disposal sites and per capita income

• Municipality rates were correlated with: distribution of chemical toxic waste disposal sites (CTWDS); annual per capita income; the rates of low birth weight, birth defects and infant mortality of NJ municipalities (Najem,1985).

(Najem,1985). Najem GR, Louria DB, Lavenhar MA, Feuerman M: Clusters of cancer mortality in New Jersey municipalities: with special reference to chemical toxic waste disposal sites and per capita income. Int J Epidemiol 1985, 14:528-537

Minnesota Waste Facilities Autism 2009 Study

• Autism rates among school children living within a 10- or 20-mile radius of toxic waste sites are nearly twice as likely to have autism compared to children living farther away from such sites (Desoto, 2009).

DeSoto, MC. (2009). Environment Health News: Ockman's Razor and Autism: The case for developmental neurotoxins contributing to a disease of neurodevelopment. Retrieved from

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/autism-risk-higher-near-toxic-waste-site

Incidence of cancer among persons living near a municipal solid waste landfill site in Montreal, Quebec

• Among men living in the exposure zone closest to the site, elevated risks were observed for cancers of the stomach, liver and intrahepatic bile ducts and trachea, bronchus, and lung. Among women, rates of stomach cancer and cervix uteri cancer were elevated. Prostate cancer was also elevated in one of the proximal exposure subzones (Goldberg, 1988).

Goldberg MS, al-Homsi N, Goulet L, Riberdy H: Incidence of cancer among persons living near a municipal solid waste landfill site in Montreal, Quebec. Arch Environ Health 1995, 50:416-424

A healthy study of two communities near the String fellow waste disposal site

• Prevalence odds ratios for 23 symptoms were uniformly greater than 1.0, and 8 symptoms had odds ratios greater than 1.5: blurred vision, pain in ears, daily cough for more than a month, nausea, frequent diarrhea, unsteady when walking, and frequent urination (Baker, 1988).

47:443-460. Baker DB, Greenland S, Mendlein J, Harmon P: A healthy study of two communities near the String fellow waste disposal site. Arch Environ Health 1988, 43:325-334

Increased Incidence of Cancer and Asthma in Houses Built on a Formed Dump Area 2001 Cohort Study

• The possibility of a causal association between dump exposure and incidence of cancer and asthma cannot be full excluded (Pukkala, 2001).

Pukkala, E., & Pönkä, A. (2001). Increased Incidence of Cancer and Asthma in Houses Built on a Former Dump Area . Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(11), 1121. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Low birth weight and residential proximity to PCB-contaminated waste sites study

• After adjusting for sex of the infant, mother's age, race, weight, height, education, income, marital status, and smoking, there was still a statistically significant 6% increased risk of giving birth to a male infant of low birth weight (Bibergenova, 2003).

Bibergenova A, Kudyakov R, Zdeb M, Carpenter DO: Low birth weight and residential proximity to PCB-contaminated waste sites. Environmental Health Perspectives 2003, 111:1352-1357.

Cancer mortality in U.S. counties with hazardous waste sites and ground water pollution

• Since the late 1950s, more than 750 million tons of toxic chemical wastes have been discarded in an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 hazardous waste sites (HWSs). Uncontrolled discarding of chemical wastes creates the potential for risks to human health (Griffith, 1989).

Griffith J, Duncan RC, Riggan WB, Pellom AC: Cancer mortality in U.S. counties with hazardous waste sites and ground water pollution. Arch Environ Health 1989, 44:69-74.

Harris County

Sites Redistribution Points and “Superfund” Map/Names

2015 Redistribution of Harris County Waste Facilities Points

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definition, the order specifically required that disadvantaged populations have an opportunity to participate fully in decisions that affect their health and environment (Moeller, 2008).

• Ethical redistribution of waste facilities in Harris County.• To date these facilities are located in Harris County major

urban communities. • Selecting a site for potentially hazardous operation per the

information provided by the Harris County Waste Facilities Map.

Moeller, D. W. (2005). Environmental Health, 3rd ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

“Superfund” sites in Harris County Location Map

http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/remediation/superfund/county_maps/harris.html

Names of “Superfund” sites in Harris County

• Jones Road G• Plume –EPA• Jones Road GW• Plume –TCEQ• La Pata Oil• Many Diversified Interests• North Cavalcade Street• Patrick Bayou• San Jacinto River Waste

Pits

• Sikes Disposal Pits• Sol-Lynn Ind

Transformers • South Cavalcade Street• Waste Oil Tank Service

http://www.tceq.state.txus/assets/public/remediation/superfund/county_maps/harris.html

Names of “Superfund” Sites in Harris County

• Aluminum Finishing• Archem• Brio Refining• Crystal Chemical• Dixie Oil Processors• Federated Metals• French Unlimited• Geneva Industries• Gulf Metals

• Harris – Farley Street• Highland Acid Pits• Houston Lead • Houston Scrap • Jensen Drive Scrap

http://www.tceq.state.txus/assets/public/remediation/superfund/county_maps/harris.html

Possible location for New “Superfund” sites

Katy and Tomball, Texas

Katy and Tomball, Texas

Summary of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)

• The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act -- otherwise known as CERCLA or Superfund -- provides a Federal "Superfund" to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment (EPA, 1980).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1980). Laws and Regulations. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/regulations/laws/cercla.html

Redistribution Conclusion

In conclusion, based on today's presentation which included

a vision for the future of Harris County “Superfund” sites,

substantiated increase of incidence and prevalence from

exposure to toxic landfills, location of “Superfund” sites in

densely populated urban areas map, possible redistribution

commercial businesses involved in waste disposal to other

areas in Harris County, Houston Texas and lastly a

snapshot of the EPA laws governing “Superfund” sites.

Redistribution Conclusion

“Finally, the jury is still out on the possible health

hazards of municipal waste disposal sites on humans. That

is, the long-term effects of municipal waste disposed of in

landfills are not known. However, landfill sites are spatially

localized; adverse effects decrease with distance from the

landfill sites. Those neighborhoods and schools that are

nearest to the waste disposal sites are likely to pay a

significantly higher health price (i.e., shorter lives, illnesses,

and traffic hazards for children) (Bullard. 1982).”

Bullard, R. D. (1983). Solid waste sites and the black Houston community. Sociological Inquiry 53, pp. 273-228

Redistribution Conclusion

Disparities are evident in Harris County’s zoning of

waste disposal sites. The goal of this presentation

is to give concrete evidence to communities of the

potential hazards of living and working in close

proximity to toxic waste sites in Harris County,

Houston Texas.

References:

DeSoto, MC. (2009). Environment Health News: Ockman's Razor and Autism: The case for developmental neurotoxins contributing to a disease of neurodevelopment. Retrieved from

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/autism-risk-higher-near-toxic-waste-site

Harrs County Houston Texas. (2010). Superfund Sites in Harris County Location Map http://www.tceq.state.txus/assets/public/remediation/superfund/county_maps/harris.html

Pukkala, E., & Pönkä, A. (2001). Increased Incidence of Cancer and Asthma in Houses Built on a Former Dump Area. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(11), 1121. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

References:

Bibergenova A, Kudyakov R, Zdeb M, Carpenter DO: Low birth weight and residential proximity to PCB-contaminated waste sites. Environmental Health Perspectives 2003, 111:1352-1357.

Goldberg MS, al-Homsi N, Goulet L, Riberdy H: Incidence of cancer among persons living near a municipal solid waste landfill site in Montreal, Quebec. Arch Environ Health 1995, 50:416-424

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1980). Laws and

Regulations. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/regulations/laws/cercla.html

47:443-460. Baker DB, Greenland S, Mendlein J, Harmon P: A healthy study of two communities near the String fellow waste disposal site. Arch Environ Health 1988, 43:325-334

References:

Bullard, R. D. (1983). Solid waste sites and the black Houston community. Sociological Inquiry 53, pp. 273-228

Griffith J, Duncan RC, Riggan WB, Pellom AC: Cancer mortality in U.S. counties with hazardous waste sites and ground water pollution. Arch Environ Health 1989, 44:69-74.

Moeller, D. W. (2005). Environmental Health, 3rd ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Najem GR, Louria DB, Lavenhar MA, Feuerman M: Clusters of cancer mortality in New Jersey municipalities: with special reference to chemical toxic waste disposal sites and per capita income. Int J Epidemiol 1985, 14:528-537

Further Reading Sources:

Clark CS, Meyer CR, Balistreri WF, Gartside PS, Elia VJ, Majeti VA, Specker B. An environmental health survey of drinking water contamination by leachate from a pesticide waste dump in Hardeman County, Tennessee. Arch Environ Health. 1982 Jan–Feb;37(1):9–18.

Miller MS, McGeehin MA. Reported health outcomes among residents living adjacent to a hazardous waste site, Harris County, Texas, 1992. Toxicol Ind Health. 1997 Mar–Jun;13(2-3):311–319

Ozonoff D, Colten ME, Cupples A, Heeren T, Schatzkin A, Mangione T, Dresner M, Colton T. Health problems reported by residents of a neighborhood contaminated by a hazardous waste facility. Am J Ind Med. 1987;11(5):581–597.

Vrijheid M. Health effects of residence near hazardous waste landfill sites: a review of epidemiologic literature. Environ Health Perspect. 2000 Mar;108(Suppl 1):101–112.