Downplayed

Toxic Impact of Hurricane Harvey Worse Than Public Was Told

100+ instances of chemical spills during the storm, only a handful investigated by Texas officials.

The toxic impact of Hurricane Harvey was far more widespread than authorities admitted at the time. That’s according to documents pieced together by the Associated Press, which found more than 100 cases of chemical spills reported in the storm’s aftermath. The hurricane that slammed into the Texas coast in late August last year caused widespread damage to numerous chemical plants and refineries, including one incident in which half a billion gallons of industrial wastewater mixed with storm water, and leaked out of a chemical plant in Baytown, east of Houston. The AP reports cancer-causing pollutants such as benzene, vinyl chloride, and butadiene were found in neighborhoods and waterways after the storm dissipated. Most of the incidents were never publicized and the potential toxicity of some of the biggest leaks were initially understated—and only a handful appear to have been investigated by Texas authorities. Samuel Coleman, the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting regional administrator during Harvey, said the priority in the immediate aftermath was “addressing any environmental harms as quickly as possible as opposed to making announcements about what the problem was.”