Another Fifth Ward resident has died of cancer where cluster has been identified
HOUSTON - Yet another resident has died of cancer in Fifth Ward where a cancer cluster has been identified by the state.
Barbara Beal lived in her Fifth Ward home for decades, until she lost her battle to cancer on August 8, 2023. According to neighbors she died because of her address, which is a stone's throw from the railroad tracks. It’s a site state and local leaders say was likely the source of cancer causing contaminants.
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"How many more people will we lose before we actually see something being done?" asks Fifth Ward resident Sandra Edwards, who says they’ve lost so many neighbors to cancer that she started keeping count on a t-shirt,. That t-shirt reads "Creosote killed me" and lists the names of the deceased.
"Now I’ve got to add one more. Where am I going to add her? It’s running out of room," Edwards says.
77-year-old Barbara Beal loved sitting on her porch in Fifth Ward where the state identified four types of cancer clusters, including lung cancer. Now after dying of that cancer, a memorial honoring her is there instead.
"We’ve lost a warrior. We’ve lost someone who has been consistently in the forefront of fighting for her neighborhood," explains resident Joetta Stevenson, who is the President of the Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood.
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"She was a strong individual. She fought all the way to the end," Edwards adds.
"It’s a crying shame that another resident has to pass away," says neighbor Walter Mallett.
"How many bodies do we have to count in order for you to know this is real for us?" asks Fifth Ward resident Cookie Straughter.
Mrs. Beal was outspoken about the site owned by Union Pacific, wanting someone held accountable for the cancer causing chemicals and contamination in Fifth Ward and fighting for residents to be taken care of.
"I’ve had breast cancer twice," says Stevenson.
"I’m a two time breast cancer survivor and I have to get up every day thinking, is where I’m living, killing me?" adds LaTonya Payne, who also lost her 13-year-old son Corinthian Giles to cancer in 2021.
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Beal died just days before the community was set to celebrate a birthday memorial for Corinthian.
"He would have turned 16. It would have been his 10th grade year. I still grieve him. I get angry. I cry. I throw things because it still hurts very bad. It hurts bad," Payne cries with tears streaming down her face.
Last month, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner created what’s called a Strikeforce Team, which meets weekly and is supposed to help Fifth Ward residents relocate away from the cancer causing environment, at no cost to them.
Is Union Pacific planning to help? The company released to me the following statement:
"Union Pacific is saddened to learn of Barbara Beal’s death and deeply cares about Fifth Ward's people, businesses, and heritage. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the community and have been actively engaged in remediation efforts at the former Houston Wood Preserving Works site under the direction of Texas Commission of Environment Quality. We’ve made measurable progress on clean up, and our commitment to finishing the job remains firm. Reports thus far show no pathway for the contamination to reach the community. Additional testing, also recommended by the City of Houston, is necessary to obtain the data needed to make informed decisions on any next steps. Union Pacific will pay for all of the additional sampling and testing and will complete the work under the guidance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We will proceed upon final approval from the EPA."