Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester

The community of Manchester in Houston, Texas, faces significant public health threats due to a dense concentration of industrial facilities, including oil refineries and chemical plants. Residents, who are 98 percent minority and 65 percent low-income, are exposed to hazardous air pollutants such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene. The document highlights the disproportionate burden of pollution on low-income communities of color and calls for local officials to prioritize public health and safety in fence-line communities.

• The community of Manchester is a 'fence-line' community characterized by a high density of industrial facilities, including oil refineries, chemical and fertilizer facilities, and metal recycling plants, situated near highways, railways, and shipping ports.
• Manchester's population is predominantly minority (98 percent) and low-income (65 percent), and these residents face systemic barriers including limited financial resources, poor access to quality health care, and a lack of political representation.
• In 2014, four of the seven facilities in Manchester required to report hazardous releases to the EPA emitted 477,594 pounds of air toxics, though this figure excludes facilities emitting below the EPA reporting threshold.
• Children under 18 (35 percent of residents) and adults over 65 (8 percent of residents) are identified as being at higher risk for illnesses related to chemical exposure.
• The document details six specific air toxics found in high quantities in Manchester: 1,3-Butadiene, Benzene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, Toluene, and Xylene, noting that xylene and styrene were among the five most commonly released toxic chemicals in Houston in 2014.
• Long-term exposure to the identified air toxics is associated with severe health outcomes, including the potential for cancer, leukemia, and various respiratory, neurological, immune, and reproductive issues.
• There is a positive correlation between poverty levels and the concentration of 1,3-butadiene in Houston census tracts, illustrating an environmental injustice where low-income communities of color face disparate exposure levels.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/ucs-manchester-air-toxics-and-health-factsheet-2016.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/ucs-manchester-air-toxics-and-health-factsheet-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester |date=June 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/ucs-manchester-air-toxics-and-health-factsheet-2016.pdf |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/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/ucs-manchester-air-toxics-and-health-factsheet-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }