The Houston region is covered with hundreds of toxic sites known as Superfund sites, brownfield sites, and others that are often former hazardous waste dumps, chemical storage sites, and industrial facilities. While these sites are no longer in use, contamination from toxic chemicals stored or used there still remains. Many of these chemicals that are known to cause health problems–including carcinogens like benzene, toluene and dioxin.
When flooding occurs, pollution from these sites can spread, contaminating waterways and even depositing chemicals into neighborhoods and homes. We need our elected officials to get these sites cleaned up NOW before the next flood occurs.