Cancer Alley Louisiana: Black Communities Face Industrial Pollution Crisis

The stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known as 'Cancer Alley,' is home to over 150 industrial plants and refineries concentrated in predominantly Black communities. EPA data shows some zip codes here have cancer risk 50 times the national average. In 2019–2021, community groups including Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish fought Formosa Plastics' plan to build a $9.4 billion plastics complex. A federal judge halted permits in 2022, citing failure to consider racial disparities. The Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists documented systematic siting of industrial facilities in Black communities throughout the region.