Some Facts about Cancer Alley!!
Cancer Alley
Cancer Alley is located in an area of Louisiana. Along the Mississippi River, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and in the River Parishes, you will find Cancer Alley. People who live in this area of Louisiana have been calling it Cancer Alley for many years.
This is an area that contains many different industrial plants. This is because the river itself allows for more materials to be transported and moved, as well as more products to be brought in. Also, the state government in Louisiana provides tax breaks to these companies. The area might be good for the companies, but there are only a few locals who are able to work in these industries, and they also create more pollution that those living in the area would like there to be.
Cancer Alley is so named because it appears that it might be more common for people in the area to have cancers. There have been several studies done, and while most of them show only a slight increase in the amount of cancers that are found in this area, many other studies show a marked increase in particular types of cancers, or show coincidences in types of cancers that cannot be explained by other reasons.
There are many citizens who are at risk for the increased cancer levels that can be found in this area. Most of them are people who are living in small and low income areas. They are predominately African American communities as well. One of the main theories behind the increased amounts of cancer that is found in Cancer Alley is that these are citizens who are living in areas that give them a disproportionate exposure to environmental and chemical wastes.
It is most often that rare cases of cancer are seen in much greater numbers than would typically be seen in other areas of the world or the United States. For instance, in one town which a population of less than 20 thousand people, there were 3 cases of Rhabdomysosarcoma reported in 14 months. This is a cancer that is extremely rare, and only happens in one out of a million children in the United States.
There are other health problems that are found in Cancer Alley, in addition to the rare and serious cancers that can be found there. There are increased cases of
Asthma, as well as neurological diseases. There are also a greater number of stillbirths that can be found in Cancer Alley than are usually found in other areas. Another discomfort of Cancer Alley is that those living there are living near towering flare vents. These are quite noisy, and occasionally will explode. All of these factors create Cancer Alley, which is an increasing difficult and dangerous place to live.
Most of the information and statistics that are provided regarding Cancer Alley come from The Louisiana Tumour Registry. This is the group that is responsible for providing these statistics. However, many question the methods of the registry. This is because all of the Louisiana region is included in the survey territory, including swamps that are sparsely populated and districts which cannot be closely monitored for one reason or another. There have also been suspicions that the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality might be acting in the best interest of the industries, and not the citizens.
An Environmental Justice Movement has taken place over the past several decades. The movement attempts to respond to these types of problems, and is working in Cancer Alley. One of the major problems with researching and learning more about Cancer Alley is that often the mainstream environmental organizations fail to deal with the cases as human cases, and instead deal with them more as they would deal with cases involving wildlife. Therefore, grass root and small organizations have been founded in order to help combat the devastating effects of Cancer Alley. The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is one that gives residents the tools necessary to take air quality samples. These are all organizations that aim to give the public the information that they need, and the tools to help the citizens not become victims of the industries.
Because of these small groups and movements, positive things are happening. For instance, the small town of Convent Louisiana recently prohibited a Shintech polyvinyl plant from being built in their area. Other grass roots movements help to educate the public about the dangers of environmental waste.
There is still much controversy about the types of chemicals and wastes that are found in Cancer Alley, and whether or not they promote more cancers. Several groups claim to have done studies that show that the cancer rates in Cancer Alley are actually quite comparable to other places. However, other studies have shown that the rates of cancer are actually much higher. It is a situation that currently requires more research and more studies in order to come to concrete conclusions.