How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollution

Participants listen to a presentation in English and Spanish on how to monitor air quality, how to protect yourself during chemical events and how to voice concerns at the Galena Park Library where The Texas Tribune hosted a community workshop event on Aug. 10, 2024. (Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune)

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Residents of communities along the Houston Ship Channel came together on a Saturday in August at the Galena Park Library to share their stories about air pollution and seek solutions on how to better protect themselves from industry emissions at a community event hosted by The Texas Tribune.

A resident recounted the pervasive stench of rotten eggs and onions that haunted her neighborhood, while a local bakery owner asked environmental experts about the best ways to prepare for a potential chemical incident. A young mother, balancing her baby on her shoulder, listened intently as she learned how to file an air quality complaint with the state environmental agency.

For the people living in communities that sit in the shadow of one of the world’s largest petrochemical complexes, strange smells and polluted air are as much a part of daily life as traffic jams are to the rest of the city. Yet, for too long, these communities have felt forgotten.

The event, part of The Texas Tribune’s community engagement efforts, was inspired by my previous reporting on environmental health impacts in those communities. My colleagues and I saw an opportunity to fill important information gaps by returning to the community, distributing the story in person, and hosting a community-focused event — something that's not always possible in journalism.

From disastrous chemical fires to the routine chemical releases from industrial plants, the residents near the Ship Channel constantly face environmental hazards.

Last year, a joint investigation by the Tribune and Public Health Watch into a 2019 chemical fire in Deer Park found that benzene emissions reached dangerous levels weeks after the fire was extinguished, and officials at times didn’t immediately alert residents about the invisible danger.

A participant looks at a map during a workshop session about monitoring air quality in Houston. (Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune)

The Texas Tribune hosts a community workshop event at the Galena Park Library in Houston. The workshop, presented in English and Spanish, taught participants about air quality monitoring, how to protect oneself during chemical events and how to voice concerns. (Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune)

Our most recent investigation, in collaboration with Altavoz Lab and Environmental Health News, found that air-quality data from the state is often inadequate, hard to access, and typically only available in English. As a result, crucial information on how to avoid chemical exposure and the public health consequences of such incidents doesn’t always reach those who need it most.

The event at the Galena Park Library aimed to give residents more accessible information and a space to ask questions offering residents practical knowledge and resources at three interactive stations:

* Monitoring air quality: Advocacy groups taught residents how to track the pollutants in the air they breathe using community air monitoring systems.

* Protecting yourself: Environmental experts provided guidance on what to do during a chemical event, including how to recognize symptoms of chemical exposure.

* Making your voice heard: Residents learned how to file complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and make public comments on proposed petrochemical facility permits.

The event was bilingual, with Spanish-language interpreters on hand. The dozens of people who attended asked thoughtful questions and expressed gratitude that The Texas Tribune had taken the time to return and listen to their concerns.

“It’s because of events like these that we are able to educate people about these issues," said Rodney Reed, an assistant chief of operational support for the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.

“Thank you for informing us about what to do during a chemical emergency,” said a woman who attends St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church in Channelview.

Environmental reporter Alejandra Martinez speaks with a participant at a community workshop hosted by The Texas Tribune at the Galena Park Library in Houston. (Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune)

After our stories published in March, we also wanted to find a way to bring our work directly to people in Cloverleaf, a predominantly Latino community where more than 71% of Cloverleaf residents speak Spanish at home and are not regular readers of The Texas Tribune. How do you reach a community that relies on Facebook groups, WhatsApp, and word-of-mouth for news?

The answer was simple — by showing up.

In April, freelance reporter Wendy Selene Pérez and I went back to Cloverleaf for four days, distributing flyers with critical information on chemical emergency preparedness and civic engagement. The flyers also had a QR code that took people to our website so they could read and listen to our stories in English or Spanish.

We walked through mobile home parks, visited local panaderias and washaterias, and handed flyers to parents waiting in line to pick up their children from school. The response was overwhelming.

The owner of a quinceañera dress shop shared how she used to speak out at public meetings about the “fumes and chemicals” but had since felt ignored and stopped speaking out. Holding the flyer, she said, “I really like this. I didn’t know who to talk to, but at least someone came to talk to me. I am happy, and I will read it.”

Hugo Muñoz, a general manager of El Rancho Bakery, encouraged his customers to pick up the flyers, even handing them out himself. “It’s so great that you are doing this and taking notes and testimonials,” he said.

Jocelyn Prado, a resident who said she has persistent allergies and skin irritation, added: “If y’all had never come by, I would not have been as informed. Finally, people like y’all are taking time out of your hands trying to figure this out for other people.”

Beyond raising awareness, we at the Tribune and our reporting partners also facilitated connections between residents and local environmental organizations like Air Alliance Houston, a nonprofit that operates its own air monitoring network in Galena Park, Pasadena, Channelview and Baytown. During the visit, three families living in Cloverleaf asked to have community air monitors set up outside their homes — a direct result of the Tribune's efforts.

People listen as Matt Ewalt, senior director of events and live journalism, speaks at the community workshop in Houston. (Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune)

Yvette Arellano, founder of Fenceline Watch, left, highlights a pamphlet as Erandi Treviño, a coalition organizer for Healthy Port Communities Coalition, right, looks on during the community event held at Galena Park Library. (Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune)

“Reporters often come, hear our stories, and then leave, never to return,” said Juan Flores, a community air monitoring program manager for Air Alliance Houston. “But you’re different. You came back.”

In the end, the engagement strategy wasn’t just about distributing information — it was about building trust, fostering dialogue, and empowering a community to take action. By returning to the neighborhoods along the Houston Ship Channel, this collaboration showed that journalism doesn’t have to end when the story is published; it can continue as a conversation with the people it serves.

This project was created through the Altavoz Lab Environmental Fellowship in partnership with Environmental Health Sciences and received additional funding from the Pulitzer Center. It was co-published by The Texas Tribune, Environmental Health News and palabra.

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