Study: Pollution affects children
EPA says emissions a problem for kids' health more than adults

By Wes Ferguson (Daily Texan Staff)
March 05, 2003

Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency show that children are much more vulnerable to pollution than adults.

But in Harris County, almost 80,000 children attend schools less than two miles away from refineries and chemical plants known to release cancer-causing emissions.

In El Paso, it's 15,000 children. In Nueces, 10,500.

In Jefferson County, which includes Beaumont and Port Arthur, more than 20,000 children are exposed to emissions said to cause cancer, learning disabilities, birth defects and other health problems.

Two-thirds of Texas' cancer-causing emissions from refineries and chemical plants are released within two miles of mostly minority schools in eight counties, according to a study by the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition.

"This study only dealt with eight counties. I'm sure that when you expand it, it occurs a great deal more. The health effects are very real," said Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, who said he will file legislation to protect children from toxic chemicals.

Turner's bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to develop a plan to implement air pollution monitors near the schools, monitor the health of students and send the information to parents and school officials.

Other counties in the study, performed by SEED's Refinery Reform Campaign, were Ector, Galveston, Gregg and Orange. Nearly three-fourths of the children in the survey were black or Hispanic.

Thursday evening in Austin, about 60 people attended a public hearing to voice and listen to concerns about a permit extension being sought for Holly Power Plant, situated in a largely Hispanic neighborhood north of Town Lake. Austin Energy has requested the permit extend to 2009, when officials say they will have retired the plant.

Marcos de León, addressing members of the TCEQ, said that granting a permit extension for the Holly plant equaled racism.

"We're Mexican. We're black. Is that why it's here?" asked de León, co-chair of El Concilio, a coalition of Mexican-American neighborhood associations.

Austin Energy cited reports that show no adverse health risks, but that did not sway the plant's neighbors.

"We are very concerned about the health impact of children, of the elderly and of other vulnerable members of our community," said Dr. Sylvia Herrera, health coordinator of the group People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources.

Children are more sensitive to chemical pollution because their bodies' biological defense systems are still developing, SEED reported. Also, they tend to spend more time outside than adults and breathe closer to the ground, where pollution tends to settle.

- The Associated Press contributed to this rep

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