A weather map of a hurricane approaching the Gulf

NOAA Satellites/Flickr/https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Hurricanes can triple the amount of toxic contamination released into nearby communities

A new study in Environmental Science and Technology found that petrochemical manufacturers and refineries in Texas released higher amounts of toxic contamination during hurricanes.

In short:

Compared to periods of normal weather, Hurricane Rita (2005) resulted in twice as many contamination releases, while Hurricanes Ike (2008) and Harvey (2017) caused releases to triple.
Communities with a higher percentage of renters, higher poverty rates, and more Hispanic residents were more likely to experience an increase in contamination.
Petrochemical refineries were responsible for the highest amount of contamination released during hurricanes.

Key quote:

“Low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately impacted by hurricanes and floods, leading to concerns that climate change will further exacerbate existing environmental health disparities.”

Why this matters:

As climate change continues to alter global weather patterns, extreme weather events such as hurricanes are becoming more common and more severe. With hazardous petrochemical sites disproportionately located within low-income communities of color, this study highlights how extreme weather can have significant environmental justice implications, as well as the need for better protections for fenceline communities.

Related EHN coverage:

More resources: Environmental Health News reporter Cami Ferrell covers the petrochemical industry in Houston. See her most recent reporting, ExxonMobil, LyondellBassel and Chevron among Houston’s top polluters: Report (leer este reportaje en español) and WATCH: Enduring the “endless” expansion of the nation’s petrochemical corridor (en español).

Follow Cami’s reporting via Instagram @ehnewsroom and TikTok @CamiReports.

Berberian, Alique et al. for Environmental Science and Technology. July 30, 2024

pubs.acs.org

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