The Environmental Protection Agency will oversee the testing and investigation of the contaminated train station in Houston’s Fifth Ward.

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced an agreement to oversee the testing and evaluation of a polluted train station in northeast Houston, where an above-average rate of cancer has been confirmed in the area.

A train station owned by the Union Pacific is contaminated with creosote, which is a likely human carcinogen. It was used decades earlier to treat wooden sleepers and has since seeped into the soil and groundwater.

The new agreement requires Union Pacific to provide and pay for testing both on site and in the community.

“Houston’s Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods have suffered generations of people. Today’s actions represent an important step forward for the people living in the area. Press release. “Before any significant cleanup work can be done, it’s important that we know exactly what we’re facing.”

Residents and local leaders have fought for years to clear the area. In 2019, a health assessment found an above-average rate of adult respiratory cancer in the area. Subsequent analysis showed that the incidence of lymphoblastic leukemia in children was nearly five times the state average. While the state has not made a direct connection to the railroad station, experts point to pollution from there as the likely cause.

District 5 resident and local activist Sandra Edwards said she is glad the EPA is now involved.

“Finally, something is being done. As the Environmental Protection Agency begins monitoring, I feel that no one can interfere with [the results]. No one can try to tell us what’s not there when we know it’s there,” she said. “Even if they don’t find higher levels of pollution, the fact remains: already exposed.”

Testing will begin this spring and will include soil sampling on and off site, analysis of storm sewer systems for contamination, and vapor penetration analysis to see if chemicals have infiltrated homes.

Testing will also look for the presence of cancer-causing dioxins, which officials believe may have formed during the processing of wood. Initial testing by the Houston Department of Health found dioxin concentrations in some soil samples near the train station.

The results of the upcoming testing will be used by local, state, and federal authorities to determine the next steps for the site.

“Union Pacific takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and is committed to working with the EPA and the community in the site evaluation process, including providing the railroad with all necessary funding.,” said Clint Shelbicki, Union Pacific’s assistant vice president of public affairs.

The EPA’s involvement came after the local nonprofit Bayou City Initiative, the City of Houston and Harris County threatened to sue Union Pacific, resulting in all four parties entering into negotiations.

Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer with the Bayou City Initiative, said the EPA’s involvement is the result of those negotiations.

“Everyone involved in this is trying to move as quickly as possible, but with the utmost responsibility,” Blackburn said. “Of course, the involvement of the Environmental Protection Agency is an important step forward.”