© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

E. Coli, Lead And Mercury Found In Houston Floodwaters

More than 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which left much of Houston underwater.

Residents there are now learning that the sitting water in their homes is toxic, containing dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria, and heavy metals like lead and mercury. The contamination was found after The New York Times commissioned scientists at Baylor and Rice universities to collect and test the floodwaters.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young checks in with New York Times health and science reporter Sheila Kaplan ( @BySheilaKaplan).

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.