Brio Superfund site
Encyclopedia
The Brio Superfund site is a former industrial location in Harris County
, Texas
located at the intersection of Beamer and Dixie Farm Road. It is a federal Superfund
site on which the South Bend neighborhood of about 670 homes, an elementary school, and a Little League baseball field had been built. Documents pertaining to the Brio Superfund site are located at the San Jacinto College
South Campus Library, which houses Brio Site Repository Documents, EPA Administrative Records, and Dixie Oil Processors Documents.
, vasculitis
, and autoimmune disease
.
The site, which last operated as Brio Refinery Inc. (until it went bankrupt in 1982), had been home to several chemical companies since 1957. Throughout the years, various chemicals were stored in earthen pits, which were the sources of contamination.
In 1992, the Brio Superfund site was the subject of a $207 million USD court settlement, which was at the time the largest out-of-court settlement for a toxic waste case.
The later consensus was that full remediation was infeasible given technological and financial constraints, so the in-place plan is containment with clay slurries and various forms of site monitoring. Today the area is restricted by a surrounding fence with "no trespassing" signs. Some remains of the baseball field can be found in the surrounding wooded areas. As of June 2010, a contaminant leak was reported but deemed nothing to worry about, as the leak is deep underground.
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
located at the intersection of Beamer and Dixie Farm Road. It is a federal Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site on which the South Bend neighborhood of about 670 homes, an elementary school, and a Little League baseball field had been built. Documents pertaining to the Brio Superfund site are located at the San Jacinto College
San Jacinto College
San Jacinto College is a community college in the Greater Houston area in the U.S. state of Texas. Established in 1961, San Jacinto College originally consisted of the areas of Channelview ISD, Deer Park ISD, Galena Park ISD, La Porte ISD, and Pasadena ISD. The College now also serves Sheldon ISD,...
South Campus Library, which houses Brio Site Repository Documents, EPA Administrative Records, and Dixie Oil Processors Documents.
Contamination and Court Case
Residents were drinking contaminated water that came from their underground water source. Pulte Homes claimed they were unaware of the problem until 1983, which was after they had built many of the homes, although it has been reported that construction workers complained of health problems while the initial homes were being built. Not long after, residents began reporting health problems. Women in the area had an above average rate of miscarriages and there was an increase in upper respiratory ailments, central nervous system disorders, and birth defects (particularly reproductive and heart problems). Residents moved out, fearing for their health and for that of their children. Former residents have since reported various illnesses which include cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, vasculitis
Vasculitis
Vasculitis refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders that are characterized by inflammatory destruction of blood vessels. Both arteries and veins are affected. Lymphangitis is sometimes considered a type of vasculitis...
, and autoimmune disease
Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body actually attacks its own cells. The immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks it. This may be restricted to...
.
The site, which last operated as Brio Refinery Inc. (until it went bankrupt in 1982), had been home to several chemical companies since 1957. Throughout the years, various chemicals were stored in earthen pits, which were the sources of contamination.
In 1992, the Brio Superfund site was the subject of a $207 million USD court settlement, which was at the time the largest out-of-court settlement for a toxic waste case.
Cleanup
The Brio waste site was placed on a national priority list for cleanup in 1984. Razing of the houses (which sold for $70,000 to $90,000 when the subdivision was being built) began Jan. 2, 1997. Site remediation was originally to be done through an on-site incinerator, but after a significant portion of the incinerator apparatus was built, the plan was scrapped due to community opposition and the fact that many of the pollutants are nonburnable minerals. The South Belt-Ellington Leader, a community newspaper still in publication as of March 2011, was known for publishing details of the Brio Superfund site and being a key opponent to onsite incineration.The later consensus was that full remediation was infeasible given technological and financial constraints, so the in-place plan is containment with clay slurries and various forms of site monitoring. Today the area is restricted by a surrounding fence with "no trespassing" signs. Some remains of the baseball field can be found in the surrounding wooded areas. As of June 2010, a contaminant leak was reported but deemed nothing to worry about, as the leak is deep underground.