“We’re glad that East Palestine is getting the attention that they’re getting, but we also need attention here in Louisiana,” said Shamell Lavigne of the environmental justice organization Rise St. James in Louisiana’s so-called Cancer Alley.
The derailment in East Palestine released chemicals including a carcinogen known as vinyl chloride.
However, the East Palestine community is not the only one facing exposure to vinyl chloride and the accompanying risks.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory — a list of self-reported toxic chemical emissions — more than 428,000 pounds of vinyl chloride were released into the air by 38 industry facilities last year.
In some parts of the country, meanwhile, facilities emit a range of chemicals, making impacts from individual substances difficult to pinpoint.
Residents of the “Cancer Alley” corridor, which is known for its heavy industrial presence, are at a risk of cancer 51 percent higher than the national average, according to a 2012 study.
Read the full report at digital-stage.thehill.com.
