Amnesty International’s latest report shows the harms suffered by local communities from pollution emitted by the hundreds of petrochemical plants and refineries along the Houston Ship Channel in Texas.
The report documents the health and human rights consequences of repeated and regular exposure of residents to toxic pollutants emitted by the facilities, and the severe lack of regulatory oversight or enforcement to prevent the pollution that continues to harm people, the environment and climate. It determines the area is a “sacrifice zone” which disproportionately harms communities with a majority of Latinx/Hispanic and Black residents, constituting environmental racism. Responses from the US government and companies named in the report (AI Index number AMR 51/7566/2024) can be found in the annex.
Read the full report, “The Cost of Doing Business? The Petrochemical Industry’s Toxic Pollution in the USA”