美国国家公共电台 NPR In Texas, Concerns About Damage To Flooded Toxic Waste Sites

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Officials in Texas are still trying to confirm whether floodwater has spread contamination from decades-old toxic¹ waste sites. Thirteen so-called Superfund sites were flooded last week. NPR's Rebecca Hersher visited six of them and talked to people who live nearby.

REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE²: Dwight Chandler has made serious progress ripping out drywall in his flooded house east of Houston.

DWIGHT CHANDLER: I was born and raised in this house. My parents had it in '42.

HERSHER: In the '50s, petroleum³ companies dumped industrial sludge, including sulfuric acid, into pits around the corner from his home. In the '80s, the federal government got involved and trucked out a bunch of contaminated soil. Chandler knows the so-called Highland⁴ Acid Pits well. When they'd fill up with water, people would swim in them.

CHANDLER: I grew up down there in that acid pit, played in it my whole life. That's my cousin. He was raised here and played in it. Ain't affected⁵ us, you know?

HERSHER: He says he's never had any health problems that he knows of. He even took his daughter there when she was little.

CHANDLER: And I know she was just a baby in diapers, you know? She don't have three eyes or nothing.

HERSHER: It's always difficult to tie any particular health outcome to contamination or a lack of it. Studies have found significantly higher rates of cancer and respiratory illness along the Houston ship channel here. But a lot of people in this region are in Chandler's situation, knowing they were exposed to toxic waste decades ago and still living right next to those sites, hoping they're not dangerous. Even Chandler agrees it's probably a good idea for experts to test those sites after the floods, see what toxins⁶ might have moved around.

A lot of that hasn't happened yet. The EPA is still working to inspect multiple sites. Three more were checked today, although the results of those inspections⁷ have not been announced. Neither the EPA nor the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality would be interviewed. Scott Jones used to work for the state agency.

SCOTT JONES: With all of our government agencies, whether it's federal or state, we don't put enough money into it.

HERSHER: Now Jones is with the Galveston Bay Foundation, which works on water contamination issues. He is most concerned about a Superfund site that's partially⁸ submerged in the San Jacinto River. It's heavily contaminated with chemicals called dioxins which leaked out for decades before the area was temporarily capped in 2011.

JONES: As a result we've got, you know, seafood⁹ consumption advisories¹⁰ on the bay for fish and crab¹¹.

HERSHER: Although advisories can only do so much. There were people fishing there yesterday. Before the storm, the EPA was already considering removing more than 150,000 cubic yards of contaminated material. Now Jones is concerned that the plastic covers over that which are held in place with huge rocks could have come loose in the floods.

JONES: The issue we have with this is that's a temporary cap. So hopefully temporarily it's doing its job. We'll have to see what happens after this storm. But prior to this, some of the rocks were getting eroded¹² away from just, like, a 10-year storm.

HERSHER: The water this time was so powerful it removed part of the road nearby. The EPA sent in a team in boats today. But some residents aren't waiting for official inspections at toxic waste sites. Barbara Luke and Ellen Luke grew up near the Highland Acid Pits.

BARBARA LUKE: We always walked down there and messed around.

ELLEN LUKE: Yeah.

HERSHER: Now they're in the front yard of their mother's ruined home around the corner from the pits, setting fire to whatever waterlogged belongings¹³ will burn. They're skeptical¹⁴ of any official who tells them the area is safe.

Do you trust what...

E. LUKE: No, I don't trust it...

B. LUKE: Trust it? I mean that's something that will probably forever affect the...

E. LUKE: Yeah.

B. LUKE: ...Environment.

E. LUKE: Yeah.

B. LUKE: I don't see how you can get rid of that.

HERSHER: Now the yard is covered in mud that came from the direction of the acid pits, and they're looking to sell the house. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

4 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

9 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

10 advisories   

n.（有关进展、动向、建议等的）报告( advisory的名词复数 )；公告；通告；通报

参考例句：

• Compliance with Practice Advisories is optional. 是否遵守实务公告由审计师自行选择决定。 来自互联网
• Hardened-PHP: not as such a PHP security information website, but it does have security advisories. 增强PHP:不仅仅是一个PHP安全新的网站，它还提供安全建议。 来自互联网

11 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

12 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

13 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

14 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。