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December 29, 2025
The Loosely Regulated Petrochemical Barge Industry Is Commandeering a Texas River
People who live on the San Jacinto fear chemical releases and explosions from the vessels. It’s unclear who’s policing the buildup.
May 1, 2025
Essay: Fumed composer reflects on growing up in the petrochemical industry’s shadow
The award-winning musician details the personal events that inspired the music for Public Health Watch’s first podcast.
December 30, 2024
New Analysis Shows Channelview Cancer Risk Is Likely Far Higher Than EPA Estimates
The cancer risk from benzene emissions could be up to 2,000 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s current estimate.
December 12, 2024
Levels of Cancer-Causing Benzene Reached New Heights in Beleaguered Channelview, Texas. Regulators Never Told Residents.
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.
March 25, 2024
EPA Gives ‘Minor’ Polluters a Free Pass
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has broad-ranging authority to protect the environment and human health. But it systematically turns a blind eye to “minor” air polluters, leaving a small Texas community in a regulatory void.
January 18, 2024
Public Health Watch Town-Hall Event Draws Nearly 100 People in Polluted Texas Community
About 90 people attended a town-hall meeting in Channelview, Texas, near Houston, on January 12 to discuss a Public Health Watch investigation into high levels of the carcinogen benzene in the community.
December 13, 2023
A Texas Community Is Being Bombarded by Cancer-Causing Benzene. State Officials Have Known for Nearly Two Decades.
In 2005, Texas regulators documented startling amounts of benzene in a community outside Houston. Instead of solving the problem, they allowed a known benzene polluter to expand — a decision scientists worry could haunt residents for years to come.