Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester

The document highlights the exposure of Manchester, Houston residents—a predominantly minority and low-income community—to toxic air pollutants from nineteen industrial facilities. It details the specific health risks associated with six hazardous air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act and argues for a shift in the burden of proof from the community to the polluters regarding health impacts.

• The Manchester community in Houston, TX, is exposed to toxic air pollutants from nineteen industrial facilities, which include metal recycling plants, chemical and fertilizer facilities, and oil refineries.
• In 2014, four of the seven facilities in Manchester required to report hazardous releases to the EPA emitted 477,594 pounds of air toxics, a figure that excludes facilities emitting below the reporting threshold.
• The document identifies six specific air toxics found in high quantities in Manchester that are regulated under the federal Clean Air Act: 1,3-Butadiene, Benzene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, Toluene, and Xylene.
• Exposure to these air toxics poses significant health risks, including potential cancer, leukemia, and various respiratory, neurological, immune, and reproductive issues, with higher risks for children under 18 and adults over 65.
• The author argues that the burden of proving chemical harm currently rests on low-income communities of color, and asserts that polluters should instead be required to prove their emissions pose no harm.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester. https://www.ucs.org/resources/air-toxics-and-health-manchester

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/resources/air-toxics-and-health-manchester.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester |date=29 June 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/air-toxics-and-health-manchester |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016air, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/air-toxics-and-health-manchester}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }