HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County Public Health has released a new report highlighting the five areas most impacted by air pollution. The report says Harris County ranks the highest in Texas for pollution sources associated with health risks.
One of those neighborhoods, Independence Heights, is where friends Natasha Johnson and John Branch have lived for 60 years.
“We raised our kids here. Our parents raised us here. It’s an area that is building up, and it’s a mixed area, and it’s a loving area,” Johnson said.
They celebrated when grandchildren were born and comforted each other when health conditions worsened.
“I beat one cancer, and I got another cancer, and they say, ‘You did smoke,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but what am I breathing also?'” Branch said.
That report from Harris County Health said what Branch and others are breathing isn’t good.
Independence Heights, along with Settegast, Baytown, Channelview, and Galena Park, is one of five neighborhoods Harris County Health said to have some of the highest rates of air pollutants that lead to breathing issues and cancer. Things Johnson and Branch have been diagnosed with.
“I have a number of reasons I’ve had cancer twice in my life,” Branch said.
The five communities impacted are also noted as being low-income and minority, highlighting the disparities associated with air pollution and exposure in Harris County.
Johnson and Branch said grandparents, children, and grandchildren all have health problems. The experiences and difficulties of dealing with these issues create problems of their own.
“That concerns me a lot. And we don’t have the resources either. A lot of the hospitals are a long distance away, and even if you get to the hospital, the first question they ask you is, ‘Do you have insurance?’ ‘Do you have money to pay for this?’ You know? To me, if a person is sick, treat them and then worry about the pay,” Branch said.
Branch believes zoning laws and deed restrictions could have prevented this generations ago but feels that time has come and gone. The report calls for action, saying federal, state, and local governments need to create policies that restrict air pollution to brighten these communities’ futures.
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