Resident Joe Farmer describes unknowingly playing near toxic waste pits as a child: “Every once in a while, you could see smoke coming up out of the sand. It was sulfur burning. We’d dig it up with a shovel and bring it home and set it on fire, play with it. It felt like a chemistry test."

East Harris County is overburdened with environmental hazards: toxic Superfund sites, barges storing petrochemicals and facilities emitting volatile organic compounds, a class of chemicals that includes many carcinogens. Explore a map of hazards here: felt.com/map/DSHS-Can...

This time around, health officials found 3x the expected rate of leukemia in the 250-square-mile East Harris County study area, along with higher rates of lymphoma and lung and bronchus cancer.

These cancers have been linked to environmental exposures like toxic chemicals.

The first time Texas officials studied cancer in East Harris County, they identified concerning census tracts.

This time, they didn't.

To help readers visualize how summarizing data over a large geographic area can hide trends, we created this scrolly story using the data from the 2015 study.

The HON rule would have cut emissions of ethylene oxide by *80 percent* through air monitoring and stronger pollution controls.

People living closest to these plants have some of the highest cancer risks from air toxics in the country, according to the most recent EPA data.

According to my analysis of EPA's enforcement and compliance data, disrupting the HON rule would not only put vulnerable populations at risk but also protect polluters that frequently violate their permits.

“Rolling back the HON Rule is only going to make people sicker,” said Tracey Woodruff, who has spent decades researching the health effects of chemicals. She said the EPA is contradicting the “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report that identified the threat of toxic pollution.

A @pubhealthwatch.bsky.social analysis found that a disruption of the HON rule could have severe consequences, protecting polluters that frequently break the law and worsening health risks for already-overburdened communities.

Trump’s EPA said it will reconsider the HON rule and other standards for hazardous air pollutants because they put “unnecessary burdens” on industry. The agency offered instructions for requesting temporary exemptions from the standards, and industry groups did just that.

The EPA says that 200+ chemical plants across the US put ~10 million people at elevated risk of developing cancer. Last year, the agency updated its emissions standard for these facilities (the HON rule), aiming to reduce cancer risk for overburdened cities like Deer Park.

But …

She grew up in Deer Park, TX, and recently moved herself and her son back to care for her father, who is dying of cancer. He spent 50 years working as a welder for the petrochemical industry.

“For me this place represents violence.” Donatto said.

Imagine living next to a large chemical plant that's emitting toxic air pollution day in and day out. You might not be able to see it, but sometimes you can smell it or even feel it burning your eyes or throat.

Traci Donatto lives near not one but dozens of these plants. 🧵

State lawmakers rejected a bill that would have improved access to fresh foods for low-income families. Feeding America estimates that more than 5 million Texans have limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Instead, Texas passed a bill further limiting the foods and drinks covered by SNAP.

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people in the country by far. A recent poll found 71% of Texans support Medicaid expansion. The federal government would have contributed 90% of the cost of expansion. Even so, bills to increase access for low income adults never got out of committee.

ICYMI here's @pubhealthwatch.bsky.social breakdown of public health opportunities missed by Texas' 89th Legislature. Instead of passing policies that improve the state's poor health rankings, they prioritized school vouchers, property tax cuts + access to guns.

publichealthwatch.org/2025/06/05/b...

Last year Michigan registered composters received double the amount of food waste they did 5 years ago.

But there are hurdles to more widespread commercial composting like cost and contamination. Read about the grassroots and municipal efforts to push composting forward in the state. 👆

An EPA study estimates that while landfill methane emissions are declining, food waste is a growing share of that pollution accounting for almost 60% of fugitive methane.

Wayne County has the most municipal landfills in Michigan, and three of those are top methane polluters.

Ever learn about a food recall a little later than you would have liked? @fda.gov doesn't seem to have a user-friendly alert delivery system, but I've been using the free app "Food Recalls" thorough notifications with pictures and links to the FDA alerts. Not perfect, but it might save lives!