Environmental Racism in Cancer Alley: Dying for Action

By Marie DeLessio, May 17, 2025

The area of Louisiana, dubbed “Cancer Alley”, has nearly 200 petrochemical plants that produce toxic forever chemicals called PFAS. The predominantly African American communities that inhabit Cancer Alley have seen rates of cancer and respiratory illnesses skyrocket over the past 40 years. It’s time to address the discriminatory roots of Cancer Alley and how they affect the pollution present in the area today.

Cancer Alley in Louisiana [Source: EarthJustice]

The corridor of intensive industrialization along the southern Mississippi River in Louisiana houses the largest concentration of petrochemical facilities in the Western Hemisphere, with nearly 200 petrochemical plants operating in the 85-mile-long corridor. Petrochemical companies refine crude oil, a process that creates a large amount of waste product, some of which can be defined as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These substances are commonly found in plastic food packaging, cookware, clothing, cleaning products, personal care products, cosmetics, paint products, firefighting foam, and more. PFAS do not break down naturally, and the poor waste management of these “forever chemicals” results in pollution affecting air, water, and soil quality. In addition to the toxic substances created by petrochemical facilities, the conglomerates that run the plants have recently been under a considerable amount of scrutiny for perpetuating environmental racism in the area. 

The predominantly African American residents of this industrial corridor, now dubbed “Cancer Alley”, have not only suffered environmental racism from Formosa Plastic’s activities; they have faced medical threats as well. For example, the majority Black communities in the area, such as St. James Parish, are 16 percent more likely to develop cancer than predominantly white communities in the area. Rashes, respiratory illnesses, and reproductive issues are also common. The racial disparities seen in Cancer Alley stem from before the Civil War, when the area was dependent on plantations run by slave labor. Many of the people who inhabit the parishes of Cancer Alley today are the descendants of enslaved people who stayed there after being freed.  One of the world’s largest petrochemical companies, Formosa Plastics, has recently faced significant backlash as its proposed industrial complex was found to be on the site of an unmarked burial ground of enslaved people. 

Cemetery in Cancer Alley directly in front of petrochemical plant [Source: Boston Review]

Additionally, redlining and zoning laws have historically been used to prevent people of color from moving into white neighborhoods, forcing them to move to unincorporated towns in Cancer Alley. Unincorporated towns are governed by the parishes in which the towns are located, and parish officials often allow petrochemical companies to build facilities in the lower-income areas populated by people of color. The companies are eager to build polluting projects in these areas as they know low-income residents will not have adequate political power to resist petrochemical development.

In the past ten years, many states have proposed and passed hundreds of pieces of legislation addressing PFAS in drinking water and consumer products; however, Louisiana has not addressed this issue. Under the Clean Air Act, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is tasked with regulating emissions and pollution. But, LDEQ often prioritizes industrial interests by claiming the economic benefits far outweigh any adverse health effects, even though a recent air modeling report found that a proposed Formosa Plastics petrochemical compound would “violate federal air pollution protections”. LDEQ expedited a petrochemical company’s permit approval process in exchange for paying LDEQ employees overtime. In addition, Louisiana state officials, such as former Governor Mike Foster, have favored petrochemical companies by providing Shintech, a petrochemical company, with a 10-year tax exemption if they placed their plant in St. James Parish, located in the heart of Cancer Alley, resulting in lost potential tax revenue from the city while increasing its pollution burden.

Despite the health risks from PFAS that are becoming increasingly apparent in the communities experiencing PFAS pollution, this class of forever chemicals is under regulated for the social cost it creates. The only law in the state of Louisiana related to regulating PFAS is RS 40:1615, which prohibits the use of Class B firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals. However, there are exceptions in cases of emergency fire-fighting response efforts and in training where containment and disposal procedures prevent foam from entering the environment. 

At the federal level, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed and shared health advisories on PFOA and PFOS in 2016. They determined that safety levels found in drinking water should be no more than 70 parts per trillion, leading to the development of the PFAS Action Plan in 2019. In April of 2024, the Biden-Harris administration finalized the first-ever national drinking water standards for PFAS. These standards identify Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six different PFAS chemicals. These levels are set to be legally enforceable starting in 2029.

[Source: The National Wildlife Federation Blog]

As the threat of PFAS in our air and water persists, it is critical to advocate for stricter protections and stand with the underrepresented communities that bear the brunt of the impact. While we continue to see rollbacks on numerous pollution standards and rules under the Trump administration, the environmental injustices that exist in places like Cancer Alley will be further perpetuated. Make your voice heard by submitting public comments on proposed rule changes and demanding a future that addresses environmental injustices.

Change The Chamber is a nonpartisan coalition of young adults, 100+ student groups across the country, environmental justice and frontline community groups, and other allied organizations.