lifel0ver Blogs

Cancer Alley

According to the United Health Foundation, Louisiana is ranked 47th in worst health among the 50 states. The state suffers from a premature death rate with 10,614 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population (United Health Foundation 2009). This is largely linked to the Southern Mississippi River Cancer Alley. This chemical corridor is caused by the local presence of industrial polluters. This issue largely impacts the impoverished community in Louisiana and African Americans are disproportionately affected. This essay seeks to address the empirical data collected on mortality and morbidity, the causes of the issue, and possible solutions to the suffering the people of the Bayou State face.

Louisiana produces an overwhelming amount of chemicals that hinder the lives of those living along the southern Mississippi River. According to Craig Colten, the top five Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) sites in the state absorb over 142 million pounds of poisonous chemicals from industrial releases annually (Singer 2011). In 2010 the Center for Environmental Health, a program called the Louisiana Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System that collects data on the hazardous substances released found that between the years 2001 and 2008, there were over 1,000 toxic industrial chemicals released into Ascension Parish, Louisiana air, water, and soil, with ammonia and hydrochloric acid, being the most common in recent years (Singer 2011). These statistics reveal the enormous scale of pollutants being released in the Louisianan community. In 20 parishes in Southern Louisiana, Marise Gottlieb et al. (1981) conducted a case-control mortality study that revealed residents in the Mississippi River water corridor who get their drinking water from the river have a 2.1-fold increased risk of rectal cancer compared to those getting their water from other sources. It is important to note that the risks increase further downstream (Singer 2011). This is largely related to boat waste dumping, chemical leaks from industry sources, and pesticide and fertilizer seepage from agriculture output. Because of this, the bayou experiences algal blooms that cover the water's surface, necessitating a high level of chlorine usage to make the water safe to drink. In another study, Gottlieb et al. (1982) discovered that people in southern Louisiana who reside less than a mile from a chemical facility have a 4.5 times increased risk of lung cancer than people who live farther away. This is largely due to agricultural burning that produces a complex mix of carbon, tears, liquids, and gases like carbon monoxide (Singer 2011). According to research, (Hansen and Carlson 2004) prolonged exposure to these chemicals is associated with breathing problems, worsened asthma, and an increased risk of dying young, especially in the case of children and the elderly. Additionally, studies show that Black Residents are disproportionally affected compared to White Residents. This is supported when Singer writes ''Louisiana had the second-highest state cancer death ranking (after Kentucky) in the nation, with African American men and women bearing an unequal burden of cancer mortality.'' Additionally, Black Louisianians have an annual death rate of 1,200 per 100,000 population, whereas Whites have an annual death rate of 931 per 100,000, according to the state's overall mortality patterns for all causes (United Health Foundation 2009). All in all, after looking at The Bayou State's mortality and morbidity statistics one can gather that there is clearly an issue that needs to be resolved.

The empirical data from above can be explained by a variety of factors. One factor is the psychological burden of knowing the living conditions. A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) shows that on a scale from 1 to 8, perceived health status by residents fell from 7.1 in 2005 to 5.6 in 2009. This shows how the residents aren't in good faith about their health over the years. As stated by Barr ''the perception of relatively less privilege, which may lead to 'psycho-neuro-endocrinological cascades' that have clinical health effects''. These feelings of powerlessness are also related to the sheer power of the companies causing the pollutants. Ascension Parish Residents Against Toxic Pollution was a small environmental activist group that Amos Favorite helped form (Singer 2011). The group successfully sued several local chemical manufacturers in small court cases (Singer 2011). In the end, though, the group was unable to halt Ascension Parish's chemical industry from expanding. The local populace was intimidated by the industry's power (Singer 2011). Additionally, those in power do not tend to present the entire story that relates to the issue. An instance of this is when the National Cancer Institute estimated that tobacco use accounts for 30% of cancer deaths, with dietary factors and sedentary lifestyle accounting for another third'' (Singer 2011). Although 'exposure'' is mentioned as a cause of a rare form of cancer, the health report card fails to address the regular release of the known toxic substances that a released into the environment (Singer). Additionally, CF Industries has the presentation of community-conscious organizations and good neighbors that provide jobs, and produce products, all the while using the resources in a responsible manner (CF Industries 2010b). Although this is the presentation companies Like CF are directly responsible for the environmental issues. As Brown (2007:2) states, ''Environmental health is so strongly contested because the hazards identified by laypeople and some scientists are crucial parts of the modern economy, and the challengers seek to level the playing field by having corporations be more responsible.'' Overall, the feeling of powerlessness, lack of government assistance and the sheer power and economic benefits of the industrial companies are major causes of the chemical corridor.

A solution to this problem will take time and many different actions to correct, but there are several places to start. One place to start is to educate the community. As Blodgett states ''Educating those affected by the problem, government officials and the public is equally important. Particularly, educating victims about their rights makes them more likely to act on their own behalf.'' They should also form bonds with larger environmental groups to gain a larger amount of support. Also, the community should intend to take this issue to court where change is more likely to be formed. This will be like how citizens in Louisiana formed the St James Citizens for Jobs and the Environment (SJCJE) and partnered with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN). This created a lot of change in the community and could potentially push it further.

In summary, there is a large issue in Louisiana's cancer alley. Not only is this causing premature death, but it also affects black people disproportionately. The main obstacle preventing anything from getting done is the economics, lack of support, and large companies involved. Hopefully, the solution presented in this essay could get the ball rolling towards are healthier life for the negatively affected residents in the chemical corridor.

Works Cited

  • Singer, M. (2011), Down Cancer Alley: The Lived Experience of Health and Environmental Suffering in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 25: 141-163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1387.2011.01154.x', accessed October 29, 023 CF Industries 2010b Donaldsonville Plant.
  • http://www.cfindustries.com/plants_donaldsonville-la.html, accessed October 29, 2023
  • United Health Foundation 2009 America's Health Rankings. http://www.americashealthrankings.org/yearcompare/2008/2009/LA.aspx, accessed October 29, 2023.
  • Gottlieb, Marise, Jean Carr, and Daniel Morriess 1981 Cancer and Drinking Water in Louisiana: Colon and Rectum. International Journal of Epidemiology 10(2): 117–126.
  • Gottlieb, Marise, C. Shear, and D. Seale. 1982 Lung Cancer Mortality and Residential Proximity to Industry. Environmental Health Perspectives 45: 157–164.
  • Hansen, Donna, and John Carlson 2004 Alternatives to Agricultural Burning. Spokane , WA : Department of Ecology, Air Quality Program.
  • Brown, Phil 2007 Toxic Exposures: Contested Illnesses and the Environmental Health Movement. New York : Columbia University Press.
  • Abigail D. Blodgett (2006) An Analysis of Pollution and Community Advocacy in 'Cancer Alley': Setting an Example for the Environmental Justice Movement in St James Parish, Louisiana, Local Environment, 11:6, 647-661, DOI: 10.1080/13549830600853700