The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold an open house meeting at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center on Thursday to update residents on the agency’s testing related to cancer-causing chemicals in the area.

A recent study by the Texas Department of Health Services reveals that approximately 330,000 people are living in a cancer cluster in East Harris County. This cluster affects residents in a 250-square-mile area along the San Jacinto River.

In the latest round of soil sampling in Fifth Ward, test results show no immediate health risks to human health, according to a Union Pacific release.

The event aimed to raise awareness about ongoing health risks and encourage residents to participate in free cancer screenings.

The area was designated as a cancer cluster in 2019 when it was found that significantly higher than normal diagnoses of the deadly disease were found among residents of the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods.

Crews from Union Pacific have started another round of testing in Houston’s Fifth Ward to determine whether or not the area contains dangerous chemicals for its residents.

We've been discussing the Fifth Ward cancer cluster for years, but have you ever wondered what chemicals were found and what health risks they might pose? We have looked into some of the chemicals found in the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Garden areas and listed the health effects,

KPRC 2 has been covering the cancer clusters in the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens area extensively over the past few years. We will also have the opportunity Thursday to watch crews sample the soil at Boyce Dorian Park and speak with a project manager to learn how the process works.

The Environmental Protection Agency provided an update Tuesday night to people living in Houston’s Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens on the investigation into a cancer cluster.

In recent months, environmental investigators have been on the hunt for toxic chemicals with robotic rovers in the long-standing communities of the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens.

The first test results back show elevated levels of toxic chemicals in the water and the soil

The conversations surrounding the Fifth Ward ‘Cancer Cluster’ continue for dozens of residents in that Houston neighborhood.

Soil samples were being collected by a private company in a community inside the Fifth Ward where residents have been claiming the earth is contaminated, resulting in illnesses including cancer.

During a city council meeting on Wednesday, newly-elected John Whitmire decided not to vote on a major agenda item this week, which involves a $2 million investment to help Fifth Ward residents being impacted by cancer clusters.

The cancer cluster in Houston’s Fifth ward affecting hundreds of families is something we discuss all the time in our newsroom.

Khambrel Marshall spoke to officials about the cancer cluster in Firth Ward reportedly caused by creosote and about a summit held to obtain answers for the community.

A train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in an Ohio town earlier this month, sending smoke plumes over the town of East Palestine.

The residents want Union Pacific to take responsibility for the health problems they say have plagued their community for years.

The Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday announced sweeping measures meant to improve the environmental health of communities throughout the south, including parts of Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens, overwhelmed by a long-known cancer cluster.

Residents of the Fifth Ward neighborhood that is designated as a “cancer cluster” said their fight for justice was galvanized Friday with a visit from a top administrator from the federal government.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given United Pacific Railroad until the end of the month to respond to a request for an action plan regarding the cleanup of a contaminated site in Houston’s Fifth Ward, which is believed to be the source of a cancer cluster.

In 2020, a state health and human services report found higher rates of lung, esophagus and throat cancer among adults in the area. Now, a new report released earlier in January shows children sickened with Leukemia at nearly five times the expected rate. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is calling on Union Pacific and state agencies to get involved and care for these families. Both cancer clusters are near legacy creosote contamination at a facility now owned by Union Pacific. “I am requesting that Union Pacific help to relocate affected residents and create a buffer between contaminated areas and homes in the neighborhood.

Why the Survey Matters“We know that the contaminants in the groundwater plume are carcinogenic and we know that this community has a cancer cluster—that means elevated cancer cases—and the TCEQ actually requested the cancer cluster analysis,” Dr. Lauren Hopkins, the Houston Health Department’s Chief Environmental Science Officer, said. Hopkins said they know that there is a carcinogenic chemical plume contaminating underground water underneath approximately 110 homes in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens. A Community in ActionThe study sparked a fiery response from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, as well as Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the Houston Health Department and community groups. IMPACT Greater Houston and the Houston Health Department informed residents about the community meetings on January 13 and February 10, when the Houston Health Department plans to release the results of Saturday’s survey. Jackson-Lee is also working with the state and federal officials and planning a large-scale stakeholder meeting on January 21 in the Fifth Ward at 7 p.m.