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When industry pollutes andjustice falls: Louisiana case study

By: Ivee Rahman


Introduction:

What if the place you call home made you sick, and the system made to protect you looked the other way? This is the reality of the people of Louisiana, or the “Cancer Valley,”. Despite all its wealth and regulatory system, the US is not immune to environmental injustice, and the prime example is Louisiana’s infamous “Cancer Alley”. An 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River, with 200 oil refineries and petrochemical plants, where low-income black communities live. Residents of this area report the most cases of cancer in America. All this causes the people living there to suffer from polluted air and toxic water, making the people sick and even causing them to have cancer, despite being one of the richest countries in the world. This paper explores the health, environment, and impact of all this on the environment.


Background:

An 85-mile industrial corridor from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” is one of the most heavily industrialised areas in the USA. It contains over 200 petrochemical and oil refineries in the low-income black communities. This nickname comes from the unusual rate of cancer cases reported each year, which is 47 times higher than the EPA’s acceptable rate, according to Tulane University.


This started back in the 18th and 19th centuries. After slavery was stopped, many black families settled there and remained in the rural areas. Not long after, industrialization took place there as trading was easier because of the easy access to the sea, and the lands were comparatively cheaper, and it was easier to suppress them.


Since 1970 to the present day, the air and water quality have only gotten worse due to toxins from the factories. These industries contribute to the health risks of people living around them. A study by Tulane University’s Environmental Law Clinic discovered that the pollution causes 85 cancer cases per year in Louisiana. Residents describe their neighbourhood as the “Sacrifice Zone” because of its elevated mortality rate and people suffering from chronic health diseases.


The problem is still being faced by the people living there because of the weak regulatory system and how the industry holds power over them. Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has continuously permitted industries to work, even in the already overly crowded areas. The EPA had wanted to study the case of Louisiana, but had to close its case because of political pressure.


Current Impacts:

A peer-reviewed Tulane study revealed that the neighbourhood was both plagued by poverty and high industrial pollution. It’s reported that the average of 502 cancer cases per 10,000 people, compared to the state average of 481 per 10,000 people.


The residents show an incidence of cancer, miscarriages, pre-mature births, and respiratory diseases because of the toxic gases. The ethylene levels are 10 times higher than EPA’s acceptable rates, according to a study by Johns Hopkins. The elderly and the children living there are suffering the most.


Though it is important to close down some plants, people living in Louisiana might depend on those industries, as most of them work in them, and speaking against the industries might cause them to lose their jobs and their source of income. Also, if they want to relocate, it might be hard for them to sell their lands as the lands have already lost a lot of its market value because of the place's condition.


This image from Tulane University shows an area with hush and low cancer rates.
This image from Tulane University shows an area with hush and low cancer rates.

Systems of Justice:

While the people of Louisiana are suffering out there and fighting for their lives every day, the industries and government are happy with their profits, ignoring their responsibility as human beings and not taking action over this ‘Cancer Alley’. This is not an accident but the result of choosing profit over human life. The residents of Louisiana are facing health issues due to pollution because of corporate greed and weak laws.


In recent years, the environmental regulations have weakened, and even the EPA has shut down the investigation of Louisiana permitting practices in 2023. In 2025, the Justice Department dropped a major lawsuit against the Denka plant for emitting toxic gases. Key legal and advocacy frameworks include:

  • The Civil Rights Law: Act of 1963 (Title VI), which is to stop discrimination, but isn’t always enforced

  • The Environmental Justice policies (EJ): they include the government's plan, like Justice40, to help polluted communities, but the progress rate is very slow.

  • Community Lawsuits: groups like the Louisiana Bucket Brigade sue polluters using clean water and air.

Even after this, the big companies still avoid punishment and keep polluting the area.


The voices of the people of Louisiana ‘Cancer Alley”:

  • “We are dying here. The plants poison our air and water, and no one in power stops them.” – Resident quoted in Human Rights Watch (HRW)

  • “Industry and government treat our communities as sacrifice zones.” – Sharon Lavigne, RISE St. James


Solutions:

In order to improve the condition, the environmental racism in Cancer Alley must be addressed, and changes must be made.

  1. Stronger laws should be implemented by making pollution rules stricter and punishing the companies that violate he rules. New oil or plastic industries shouldn’t be built in already polluted places.

  2. The government should support the affected communities by transitioning workers' jobs from the affected area to a clean area. Healthcare should be provided to the families at risk from pollution.

  3. Companies and industries should be held accountable and should be made to pay for the damages and cleanup


Committees like the Louisiana Bucket Bridge are monitoring the air conditions in Louisiana to use them as evidence, and the Human Rights Watch is making documentaries on Louisiana to spread awareness, but unfortunately, they are temporary if real action isn’t taken. The policies need to be changed and must be strictly implemented. Clean energy should be encouraged to be used, and the government must pay for the health conditions of the people of Louisiana.


Call for Action:

Even though it might not be possible for us to change the system completely, we can help them by donating, spreading awareness and if possible by volunteering for them. Below is a list of organisations where you can donate and ways in which we can help the people of Louisiana.


Donate & Support Grassroots Groups

● Louisiana Bucket Brigade: Funds community air monitoring and advocacy work.

● RISE St. James: Protects land and fights new petrochemical plants.

● Human Rights Watch: Documents violations and pushes for policy change.


Volunteer

● Join local clean air campaigns or online advocacy groups.

● Contact elected officials urging stronger environmental protections and enforcement of civil rights laws.

● Support just transition efforts promoting clean energy jobs.


Spread Awareness

● Share reports, documentaries, and stories about Cancer Alley on social media.

● Host community discussions or school presentations to educate others.


How does CKI help them?

Civic Knowledge Initiative (CKI) is a non-profit organisation which is out there to empower youth and community members by educating them more about the environment, doing research programs and opening chapters all over the world for a better future and building the next generation’ leader.


Conclusion:

Cancer Alley is one of the prime examples of environmental racism. It slows down how changes need to be made and laws should be stricter for the industries that are causing pollution and that they should be held accountable for harm. Even though clean air and clean water should be a basic human right, it’s not for the low-income black communities living in the Cancer Alley.


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