Toxic Truths: Maria Ester Salinas on the RGV’s Chemical Legacy

Joshua Moroles

For more than 25 years, Maria Ester Salinas has fought tirelessly to uncover the toxic truths hidden in the Rio Grande Valley. Known by many as the Erin Brockovich of the RGV, Maria has stood alongside families living in the shadow of contamination — from the Hayes-Sammons pesticide warehouses in Mission to the Donna Reservoir Superfund site and the McAllen 23rd Street Groundwater Plume.

In this episode, Maria shares her decades-long battle against chemical companies, government agencies, and the bureaucratic roadblocks that left Valley residents exposed to cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects. We discuss the lawsuits, the cover-ups, and the health toll these sites continue to have on our communities — and why Maria refuses to give up the fight.

This is more than history; it’s a story of courage, accountability, and a demand for justice in one of America’s most overlooked toxic frontlines.