August 31, 2023

HOUSTON - We strongly take issue with UPRR that the letter from the Texas Department of Health found no cancer or other health concerns. The state did a small assessment using generic equations to circulate the probability of developing cancer from exposure based on the average concentration of dioxin in the surface soil. The type of assessment done by the state health department is not applicable to the situation the community is dealing with around UPPR because there is absolutely no mechanism in the assessment to account for the fact that the community already has people diagnosed with cancer and continuing to die from cancer.

For UPPR to attempt to use this letter from the Texas Department of Health to state there are "no cancer concerns" is offensive to the Kashmere Garden Community and, at the very minimum, totally insensitive. It is undeniable by the state and city that there is a greater percentage of adults and children diagnosed and dying from cancer in Kashmere Gardens than any other area in Houston. UPPR's adverse presence in this community is undeniable. That is also why we asked the EPA to step in.