Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee Passes From Pancreatic Cancer

It's hard to think of another politician who brought more division to this country than Sheila Jackson Lee. From the lies about Trayvon Martin to her promotion of the "Hands up Don't Shoot" myth of Mike Brown, Sheila Jackson Lee wanted to create a powder keg of violence in this country. She also introduced the Articles of Impeachment against Trump after Democrats stole the election in 2020, lying about "Trump-dominated violence." I will say a prayer for her immortal soul, but her lies and division will not be missed.

Sheila “Fought” so hard for the residents of FIFTH ward concerning the cancer clusters brought on through the railyards. As you can see from the articles below, through the YEARS, residents continue to fight Union Pacific and the City of Houston for HELP pertaining the cancer clusters which has plagued the constituents of Sheila’s district.

According to a 1993 Environmental assessment of the rail yard that was recently made public, chemicals from the rail yard leaked into the surrounding soil, carried toxic waste off into the ditches and streets and discharged more pollution into the sewer system than it was supposed to. In 1981, an explosion occurred at one of the chemical tanks that stored materials for the wood treatment operation. The Extent of the contamination from that release is “unknown,” according to the assessment, which was conducted by PRC Environmental Management Inc., in Dallas to comply with the EPA’s hazardous waste requirements

Read EPA report here

From 1899 to 1984, workers at the Union Pacific site applied creosote, a tar-like substance derived from coal and wood, to railroad ties. Creosote contains several known carcinogens, which, over time, seeped into the ground and spread throughout the community, forming a contaminated groundwater plume beneath residential homes north of the site.

In 2019, the state classified the Greater Fifth Ward, along with Kashmere Gardens and Denver Harbor, as a cancer cluster due to a higher-than-average incidence of cancer cases.

For years residents have been complaining about getting sick due to the railroad. Some of the chemicals that have been found in the EPA and Union Pacific testing, which include:

• Benzene - High levels can lead to death or cause leukemia

• Ethylbenzene - Exposure to high levels of ethylbenzene in air for short periods can cause eye and throat irritation. Exposure to higher levels can result in dizziness. Also, can cause cancer

• m,p-Xylenes - High levels of exposure for short or long periods can cause headaches, lack of muscle coordination, dizziness, confusion, and changes in one’s sense of balance.

• Chloroform - Breathing low levels of chloroform for a short amount of time can cause you to become dizzy, tired, or give you a headache. At high levels, you may also have trouble breathing and may pass out.

• Naphthalene - People who breathe in air containing naphthalene had irritation and inflammation in their noses, decreased lung function, headaches, and confusion, or felt tired and dizzy.

• n-Nonane

• 1,4-Dichlorobnzene

• Ethylene Dibromide

• Bromodichlororomethane - Exposure to high levels can cause cancer, according to the CDC.

• Tetrachloroethylene - Breathing high levels of tetrachloroethylene for a brief period may cause dizziness or drowsiness, headache, and incoordination; higher levels may cause unconsciousness and even death. Studies in humans suggest that exposure to tetrachloroethylene might lead to a higher risk of getting bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

• Xylenes, Total - No health effects have been noted at the background levels that people are exposed to on a daily basis.

  

According to the residents of the district Sheila represented, they suffered from sicknesses and cancers that they say likely came from inhaling toxic chemicals over the years.

“Well, when I was young, it used to rain in Fifth Ward. When it would rain in Fifth Ward, we always had rainbows on the ground for some reason but never knew what they were. We used to play in the rainbows and as time went on, we were told it was contamination. I assumed it was creosote, but they said it was tar,” Green said. “My mother died from cancer, colon cancer and so did my sister. I had cancer twice. I had a double mastectomy,” -Carolyn Green, a 75-year-old Fifth Ward resident, stated the railyard caused her to get diagnosed with cancer twice. according kprc2

In 2021, a family sued Union Pacific Railroad and the City of Houston over a 13-year-old Fifth Ward resident’s death from leukemia.

The family said the Union Pacific Railroad Company “knowingly contaminated the area with creosote and other toxic chemicals, attempted to conceal the scope and danger caused by the contamination, and failed to clean it up.”

One of the most common sicknesses in the area, according to the Texas Health and Human Services are:

• Kidney

• Renal pelvis cancers

• Lymphoblastic leukemia

You can read further on all the cancer clusters in which PLAGUES Sheila’s district over the last 20+ years:

• Fifth Ward residents living in cancer cluster call out Mayor, state senators over campaign contributions from Union Pacific

• Fifth Ward residents discuss high incidences of cancer cases in area with elected officials, medical experts

• Fifth Ward residents still pleading for action on cancer cluster found in neighborhood

• EPA chief visits Fifth Ward neighborhood where cancer cluster identified

• Family sues Union Pacific, City of Houston over teen’s cancer death

• ‘People have already died’: In Houston, residents demand relief from chronic pollution during EPA chief’s visit

• Cancer cluster found in Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens

• Fifth Ward residents demand answers from Union Pacific Railroad about cancer cluster found in neighborhood

• Residents fight for environmental justice in Houston neighborhoods dealing with hazardous sites and air pollution