Environmental Racism
An examination of “Cancer Alley”, Louisiana to exemplify the harmful relationship between race, politics and exposure to environmental hazards in the United States.
Environmental racism describes the disproportionate health effects experienced by people of color due to concentrated, pollution- producing industrial infrastructure in marginalized communities, causing increased exposure to environmental hazards. While the government seemingly turns a blind eye, marginalized communities are favored for production of toxin-dumping industry (McCoy, 2022). But the placement of hazardous industrial facilities near communities of color and poor communities is not accidental, but rather a result of political power dynamics. Communities facing the biological consequences from close proximity to industrial facilities lack the power to influence the large industries and government agencies responsible for the placement of such facilities (Brown et al., 2020). Black communities face the highest risk, as they are 75% more likely to be located in close proximity to industrial sites (McCoy, 2022). Economic racism is part of a deeper intersectional problem within American society, involving economic and political marginalization, social damage and biological consequences (Singer, 2011).
Cancer Alley
“Cancer Alley” is an 85-mile industrial strip along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana. This region is responsible for 25% of all petrochemical production in the United States, resulting in large quantities of pollution dumping into the air and nearby water sources. The chemical corridor received its nick name due to health consequences faced by residents in the surrounding communities, including the increased risk for cancer. Many of these communities are predominantly black, and 40% of the entire population of cancer alley consists of Black Americans (McCoy, 2022).
History
The formation of “Cancer Alley” was the result of power dynamics surrounding race in the United States, beginning with slavery and developing into modern racist government policies. The predominantly black demographic of “Cancer Alley” is the result of its post-emancipation reconstruction. At this time, strips of former plantation land were purchased by freed black people, while adjacent plantations remained unsold, later becoming the sites of polluting industry. These black communities or “companies” are often unincorporated, placing zoning decisions in the hands of mostly white parish (county) governments rather than local community leaders (McCoy, 2022).
In 1924, New Orleans passed an ordinance that banned black residents from building, renting or owning homes in white neighborhoods, which were located in desirable, high elevation locations.
This pattern continued when these areas were redlined by federal agencies that withheld financing for homes that could be rented or sold to black residents (McCoy, 2022).
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Political influence on the chemical industry was exemplified in another way from 1949 -1979, when the Environmental Control Commision loosely issued waste discharge permits to the industry with little inquiry (Singer, 2011).
Health
The industrial environment in Louisiana has had devastating health consequences, placing the state at 47th in the nation for having the worst health. This polluted environment causes an increased likelihood of developing cancer, skin inflammation, severe respiratory problems and high rates of premature death. In 2005, the cancer rate in the state was 17 times higher than the United States average (singer, 2011).
Future Research
All marginalized populations across the United States face similar challenges to the communities in Cancer Alley. Continued research is necessary to gain information and spread publicity about environmental inequality, and all forms of inequality in the United States. Social scientists focusing on eco-justice can provide valuable insights into this complex relationship between race, politics and environmental risk and hopefully impact the policies perpetuating the issue.
References
Brown, N., McIlwraith, T., & de González, L. T. (2017). perspectives. Anthropology News (Arlington, Va.), 58(5), e278-e282. https://doi.org/10.1111/AN.627
McCoy, B. C. (2022). Critical infrastructure, environmental racism, and protest: A case study in cancer alley, louisiana. Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 53(2), 582.
· Singer, M. (2011). Down cancer alley: The lived experience of health and environmental suffering in louisiana’s chemical corridor. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 25(2), 141–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1387.2011.01154.x
