Heart of the Houston Cancer Cluster
BLKHLTH is partnering with the Houston community to support cancer treatment and prevention options. Learn more about the impact of environmental waste in the Greater Fifth Ward community, and what you can do to protect your health.
Houston’s Greater Fifth Ward is more than a ZIP code. It’s a frontline.
Greater Fifth Ward isn’t just a neighborhood. It’s a site of ongoing environmental harm — and community resilience.
In 2019, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed what residents had long suspected: a cancer cluster in the area. That meant more people were being diagnosed with certain cancers than expected. The cause? Likely contamination from a nearby rail yard once used to treat wood with toxic chemicals.
But this story didn’t start in 2019. And it doesn’t end with a headline. It’s part of a larger pattern: how Black communities are targeted by environmental neglect — and then ignored.
A quick timeline of key moments:
1911: Union Pacific built a wood-preserving facility in the Greater Fifth Ward
1984: Union Pacific ended operations at the wood-preserving facility
1997: Union Pacific acknowledged their use of creosote at the facility
2014: Union Pacific notified the community of creosote pollution
2019: The wood-preserving facility was confirmed as a cancer cluster
2023: The Houston Health Department surveyed residents in the cancer cluster
2024: UPRR started testing the soil for contamination
Download the Houston Cancer Cluster Guide
Want the full story and resources in one place? BLKHLTH’s community guide explains the history, health risks, and local actions in Greater Fifth Ward — with tools you can use to protect yourself and advocate for change.
Terms You Should Know
Cancer Cluster
Cancer clusters are areas that have a higher number of cancer cases than normal. This can be caused by factors such as toxic waste or pollutants in the environment that can lead to cancer.
Environmental Racism
Environmental racism is the act of harmful policies and practices that give communities of color unequal access to a better environment-and this can cause conditions that lead to worse pollution, water, and air quality.
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice is the idea that all people have the right to live in healthy and safe environments, regardless of their race or background.
What This Means for People Living Here
People in Greater Fifth Ward are living next to a toxic site. Many have lost loved ones to cancer. Others fear what might happen next. But this isn’t just about one zip code. It’s about the systems that allow harm to continue — and the people who are expected to live with it. Environmental racism doesn’t always look violent. But the outcomes are deadly.
What You Can Do
Understand Your Rights and Speak Up
Work with your local Environmental Justice Advisory Council or Lone Star Legal Aid to learn more about your legal rights when it comes to environmental harm.
Get Free Cancer Screening
Participate in a cancer study to access screening through the Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative (CSSI) and National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF).
Find Resources in Your Community
Look for local support from organizations like Air Alliance Houston and Civic Heart, which host events, provide services, and advocate for health equity across Houston.
You can also contact the Houston Health Department or the City of Houston Mayor’s Assistance Office to report concerns or ask for support.
Want to collaborate with BLKHLTH?
This isn’t just a Houston issue. It’s happening in cities across the U.S. and South Africa. BLKHLTH is committed to naming these patterns, supporting community healing, and shifting the systems that cause harm.
