Wichita residents living above a chemical spill from Union Pacific Railroad face property damages and a loss of property value as a result of the company’s negligence, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week by law firms across the country. The class-action lawsuit addresses a chemical spill at a Union Pacific rail yard near […]
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Posted inEnvironment, Kansas State Government
Study finds higher rates of liver cancer, low birth weights near toxic site in northeast Wichita
Rates of liver cancer and low birth weights are higher among people living above a toxic groundwater site northeast of downtown Wichita, a new health study by the state of Kansas finds. The source of the contamination is the Union Pacific rail yard at 29th and Grove, which has a chemical in its soil and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Kansas State Government, Watchdog
‘I’m just so angry’: Wichitans feel state neglected to warn them of danger
In November, KMUW and The Wichita Beacon requested records detailing what the state did to inform the public of the contamination. The state produced limited evidence that it followed through on key aspects of its own communications plan between 2003 and 2022.
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government
Has your family experienced unexplained illness? A Black neighborhood group will survey its members on MLK Day
A federal holiday since 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed in Wichita on Monday, Jan. 16. Local celebrations are planned featuring opportunities for prayer, volunteerism and community fellowship. One neighborhood activist hopes to use the opportunity to survey Black community members about any unexplained health problems.
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government, Watchdog
Community members want fishing lake near toxic site tested, but state says it’s not necessary
The lake is directly north of a toxic site contaminated by a large chemical spill, which state officials estimate happened in the 1970s or ’80s.