HOUSTON — An investigation into a cancer cluster in Houston’s Fifth Ward neighborhood is happening under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Investigators were in Boyce-Dorian Park collecting soil samples.
The park is one of 300 sites across the Fifth Ward that investigators with the EPA and Union Pacific will be collecting soil samples from after years of cancer concerns for people in this area.
Investigators with Union Pacific railroad and the EPA said they are testing for chemicals that may have caused contamination in the area after health officials identified a cancer cluster in the Fifth Ward. Known contaminants were used at a former Houston Wood Preserving Site up until 1984.
They are digging 12 inches below the surface level for samples.
The agency is testing for 41 chemicals in both the soil and groundwater to see if these chemicals are causing a risk to human health.
“Union Pacific cares about the community and we know that the community deserves accurate information and the right answers and this activity is the largest sampling activity that that we are conducting in the neighborhood that’s offsite, it’s off of our property and the information that is being collected is going to be reviewed by USEPA and USEPA is going to inform the community of a lot of those answers to the questions that they have,” Kevin Peterburs, senior manager, Union Pacific, said.
Union Pacific said they are about halfway through this investigation and will be collecting samples from both parks and residential yards through September and results will be made available later in the fall.