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Shelby Jouppi
@shelbyjouppi.bsky.social
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Environmental data reporter | publichealthwatch.org, reporting on pollution + enforcement • past: detroit public radio, columbia jrn • det → den • shelbyjouppi.com
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shelbyjouppi.bsky.social
Read the full story from David Leffler:

publichealthwatch.org/2025/10/09/t...
A Community Burdened by Chemical Waste Is Demanding Cancer Data. Texas Health Officials Won’t Give It to Them. - Public Health Watch
Last year, state epidemiologists studied an industrialized region east of Houston. They reported finding high rates of cancer, but refused to release key geographic details — a decision some experts s...
publichealthwatch.org
October 13, 2025 at 4:33 PM
shelbyjouppi.bsky.social
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."
From left, Sharon Graves, Brenda Farmer and Joe Farmer in Highlands. All three grew up near contaminated sites, including the San Jacinto River Waste Pits. All three say the state’s most recent study of cancer in the area may be the community’s last chance to understand the risks it faces. “We’re aging out and dying off,” Brenda Farmer said. Credit: Mark Felix
October 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
shelbyjouppi.bsky.social
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...
A screenshot of a map of East Harris County. The study area is outlined in black and encompass Channelview, Baytown, Highlands and Crosby. Mustard-colored circles of various sizes are clustered around the southern part of the study area. These represent facilities, like chemical manufacturers, that emit Volatile Organic Compounds The size of the circle corresponds to the amount released into the air. The largest circle is in Baytown, home to the Exxon Mobil refinery and petrochemical complex. Along the San Jacinto River near Channelview and Highlands is a cluster of orange and green hazard symbols. The orange symbols represent the hundreds of barges storing petrochemicals. Green symbols represent superfund sites, which are contaminated with toxins. The map clearly shows that the southern part of the study area is most concentrated with environmental hazards.
October 13, 2025 at 4:11 PM
shelbyjouppi.bsky.social
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.
A bar chart with the headline "2025 Texas cancer study finds elevated rates of leukemia, lymphoma and lung and bronchus cancer in East Harris County." The chart compares expected rates of each cancer with observed rates. The smallest set of bars is leukemia: The study expected 97.3 cases and observed 304, a 212% increase. The second set of bars is lymphoma: The study expected 394.4 cases and observed 437, an 11% increase. The largest set of bars is lung and bronchus cancer. The study expected 1,040.1 cases and found 1,218, a 17% increase.
October 13, 2025 at 3:57 PM
shelbyjouppi.bsky.social
Read our full report co-published with @insideclimatenews.org that looks at HON plants and the people they impact.

TLDR: HON plants regularly break clean-air laws. People living closest to them are already burdened by health and social challenges.

insideclimatenews.org/news/0507202...
Trump Pollution Exemptions Would Shield Lawbreakers, Endanger Millions - Inside Climate News
Analysis shows EPA rollbacks of the HON rule would put overburdened communities at risk and benefit chemical plants that frequently violate their permits.
insideclimatenews.org
July 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM