Environmental Health in Houston to Toxic Waste

Introduction

Lead, arsenic, and Mercury are the three most deadly toxic heavy metals that harm the human population. Heavy metals are lethal to human health as they have been considered to be carcinogens (Friis,2019). Low socioeconomic status is associated with the effect of these toxins exacerbate. Thus, the majority of the areas related to increased impacts of toxic waste and the bulk of plants in these areas have plants that release toxins built near communities. These papers seek to discuss the environmental health in Houston to toxic waste.

According to a report that was written by a Houston Chronicle investigation in 2016, it is clear that Houston has been experiencing a major chemical incident once every six weeks. For instance, last year, Houstonians were dealing with a fall out from the chemical disaster. That is after the storage tanks at the intercontinental Terminal chemical company in Deer park caught fire (Bajak & Olsen, 2019). Houston was covered in smoke, and schools had to close. The air quality monitors recorded that Houston has an increased level of carcinogenic chemical Benzene.

After Houstonians were exposed to these carcinogenic gas benzene, there were cases reported from residents about irritated throats, nosebleeds, and headaches. Besides, according to the EPA report, there is about 21 toxic waste in and around Houston (Sadasivam, 2019). The effects have started to be realized in Houston nearly after the seven months after the floodwaters. Since the environmental effects have begun to surface and the consequences of these effects are still unclear to human health, the EPA and the government have prioritized cleanup.

Conclusion

Although lead, arsenic, and Mercury are the most deadly toxic waste. Houston’s heavy affected by fire outbreaks in the chemical plant and floods that lead to exposure of the residents with the toxic waste. It is because after the chemical plant at Deer caught fire, the residents were exposed to carcinogenic benzene. However, with nearly 21 toxic waste in and around Houston, there is a need for the government to prioritize clean up following up EPA report.

References

Bajak, F., & Olsen, L. (2019). Silent Spills: In Houston and beyond, Harvey’s spills leave a toxic legacy. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 4 March 2020, from https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/In-Houston-and-beyond-Harvey-s-spills-leave-a-12771237.php.

Friis, R. H. (2018). Essentials of environmental health. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Sadasivam, N. (2019). As Houston choked on toxic fumes, Texas legislators targeted air quality programs. Grist. Retrieved 4 March 2020, from https://grist.org/article/as-houston-choked-on-toxic-fumes-texas-legislators-targeted-air-quality-programs/.