"The highest levels exceed even Texas’ benzene guideline — the weakest in the nation — but aren’t being recorded by a state monitor. That means the community’s cancer risk could be higher than previously thought."

"Dangerously high levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene continue to plague Channelview, Texas, despite warnings from state regulators that began almost 20 years ago.

Data collected during the state’s most recent air monitoring trips include one benzene reading that was three times the Texas hourly guideline, the weakest in the nation. In two instances, benzene fumes were so strong that scientists with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, experienced headaches and had to leave the area.

The scientists visited Channelview, an unincorporated community east of Houston, in 2021 and 2022, but the TCEQ didn’t finalize its reports on the findings until this year. Public Health Watch obtained them through open records requests."

Savanna Strott reports for Public Health Watch December 12, 2024. [2]