A review of the Texas, USA San Jacinto Superfund site and the deposition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the San Jacinto River and Houston Ship Channel.
The San Jacinto River (SJR) waste pits that lie just under the 1-10 overpass in eastern Harris County east of Houston, Texas, USA, were created in the 1960s as dumping grounds for paper mill waste. The deposition of this waste led to accumulation of highly toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCCDDs/PCDFs) over the course of several decades. After abandonment, the waste material eventually became submerged under the waters of the SJR, resulting in widespread environmental contamination that currently constitutes a significant health concern for eastern Harris County communities. The original waste pits were rediscovered in 2005, and the San Jacinto waste site is now a designated EPA superfund site. The objective of this review then is to discuss the history and current state of containment around the San Jacinto waste pits and analyze spatial and temporal trends in the PCDD/PCDF deposition through the SJR system from the data available. We will discuss the current exposure and health risks represented by the Superfund site and the SJR system itself, as well as the discovery of liver, kidney, brain (glioma), and retinoblastoma cancer clusters in eastern Harris County across multiple census tracts that border the Superfund site. We will also cover the two primary management options, containment versus removal of the waste from the Superfund and provide recommendations for increased monitoring of existing concentrations of polychlorinated waste in the SJR and its nearby associated communities.
Center for Life Sciences Technology, Engineering Technology, University of Houston, 300 Technology Building, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. riyer@uh.edu.
Rupa
R
Iyer
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, 234 SR1, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.
Juhi
J
Aggarwal
Center for Life Sciences Technology, Engineering Technology, University of Houston, 300 Technology Building, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.
Brian
B
Iken
D000072318:Dibenzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013781:Texas; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities; D018505:Waste Management; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D000072318:Dibenzofurans; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Bioremediation; Dioxins; Furans; San Jacinto River
Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Jan 1;45(1):16-20
20815379
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2014 Nov;24(6):588-94
24149975
Hum Reprod Update. 2001 May-Jun;7(3):331-9
11392380
Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Apr 1;167(7):847-58
18192277
Environ Res. 2006 Jul;101(3):419-28
16445906
Environ Sci Technol. 2007 Aug 1;41(15):5291-8
17822093
Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Mar;117(3):417-25
19337517
Chemosphere. 2000 May-Jun;40(9-11):1095-101
10739051
Occup Environ Med. 2003 Sep;60(9):672-5
12937189
Chemosphere. 2010 Jun;80(2):100-12
20434752
Sci Total Environ. 1991 Jul 1;106(1-2):5-20
1835132
Toxicol Lett. 2014 Oct 15;230(2):225-33
24239782
Chemosphere. 2006 Jan;62(3):417-29
15992861
Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2003 Feb;13(2):57-149
21782649
Environ Int. 2014 Feb;63:143-8
24291766
J Comp Physiol B. 2005 May;175(4):221-30
15900503
Toxicol Sci. 2006 Oct;93(2):223-41
16829543
Chemosphere. 2004 Mar;54(9):1329-36
14659426
Sci Total Environ. 2014 Jul 15;487:37-48
24762647
Crit Rev Toxicol. 2011 Aug;41(7):622-36
21718216
Environ Int. 2008 Jan;34(1):139-53
17826831