Often, symptoms may take months or years to develop. These symptoms are from continuous low-dose exposures to mercury over long periods of time, as are often the case during plant operations. However, symptoms can develop almost immediately from short-term high-dose exposures.

An environmental engineering firm last month concluded levels of mercury and other toxins discharged into Patrick Bayou from the chemical plant at 1000 Tidal Road, just north of Texas 225, exceed state and federal limits.

Mercury is most dangerous when it is inhaled. You cannot see it, smell it, or even taste it. While you breath it in it is damaging your body at a cellular level.

“Chemicals have been and continue to be visible to the naked eye on area roads, sidewalks, and grass…..In addition to the illness and disease suffered by plaintiffs, the love canal community to this day presents the stigmata of widespread contamination.”

Mercury is a highly toxic element. It vaporizes at room temperature and the vapors are neurotoxic, killing neurons and other molecular structures throughout the body.

“In Deer Park and other chemical corridor communities, the slow seepage of toxics can affect families like mine for generations.”

For many years industries have used mercury in their industrial processes. With the knowledge of how toxic mercury is to the human body, they have still chosen to contaminate those families in and around their facilities.

Two recent assessments, by the Environmental Protection Agency and city officials in Houston, found that residents were at higher risk of developing leukemia and other cancers than people who lived farther from the chemical plants.