re: The myth of ‘Cancer Alley’

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That white people don’t care about environmental issues because they effect black, Brown, and ran people more than white people.

Seriously.

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Well that is just stupid. For decades (especially those before any serious regulations were in place), plant hiring was racist as hell and driven by nepotism. If there is indeed validity to the term Cancer Alley, a lot more poor arse white people worked those plant jobs than black people.

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You are a fricking idiot.

There is real time monitoring on every outfall and that shite is audited like crazy. Daily samples being audited by independent labs.

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So are you telling me there isn't any type of pipeline by Dow that is under the levee and goes into the Mississippi River in which waste comes out of and goes into the river?

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That isn't seriously monitored? Not no, but hell no.

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Okay, so its monitored.. But is it not pumping waste into the river?

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propaganda piece from the OP

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In my defense, I posted an Advocate article (think it was The Advocate) a week or two ago that gave quite a contrary view to this one in regards to the petrochem industry in Louisiana. I think my downvote to upvote ratio was 5 to 1 or something like that.

Certainly I have my personal leanings and thoughts, but I do like seeing how the broad range of folks here view things, and since the PoliBoard leans WAY one direction overall, I figure OT Board might be a better sample size.

This study brought to you by the benevolent O&G industry

Lots of truth in your post.

And (not Or)…chloroprene concentrations in air in St John the Baptist parish, known drinking water risks, and exposure to various cancer causing chemicals in the petrochemical industry that is prevalent in River Parishes.

Grew up in LaPlace. While it’s my anecdotal experience, most of people I know w/cancer have origins there. I moved all over and know many more people than those who are from there. In particular thyroid cancer for whatever reason.

And the lifestyles, on avg, are contributors to your point. But there is dense cancer in my network of people who hail from the area, many of which work in petrochemical industry in various roles

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‘Cancer Alley’

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a term that has been used to identify the 85-mile Mississippi River Industrial Corridor that runs from Baton Rouge to New Orleans

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From what I remember this term goes back to the late 80's when here was an effort to unionize BASF in Geismar. The union organizers put up billboards along I-10 saying "Welcome to Cancer Alley" in order to put heat on the industry. Nice. Later Greenpeace picked up on it with banners when they shut down the "New" bridge as a stunt that really pissed off people. The term "Cancer Alley" isn't based on anything more than propaganda.

There was an effort to unionize the plant where I worked. It failed (like it did at BASF) so a union activist turned in my plant for environmental violations. It led to a raid by the FBI, DEQ, and EPA. The only problem was the activist claims were bogus. And of course the FBI couldn't admit that so they investigated for a couple of more years until a scapegoat was found in order to make the whole circus go away.

Since anecdotes seem to count more than data on this site; I've worked in and for plants for 4 decades. I know of three plant workers who died of cancer, and FAR more than that who have never been near a chemical plant. It probably depends somewhat on the type of plant, though. In the industry I work in the only real carcinogen is asbestos in pipe insulation, but asbestos was everywhere when those plants were built. My house in Baton Rouge had asbestos siding. Studies have shown roughly the same cancer rate in "Cancer Alley" as the rest of Louisiana. Louisiana has a relatively high cancer rate when compared to the rest of the US. Louisiana also has one of the least healthy lifestyles, so that's no surprise.

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From what I remember this term goes back to the late 80's when here was an effort to unionize BASF in Geismar

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You aren't wrong.

The signs read "Welcome to Geismar, La. Gateway to Cancer Alley"

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Go behind the levee when the water is low (which has been years since it was low enough to see) and see the shite that is pumping into the Mississippi river

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So you spent a lot of time in your younger days just hanging out next to the outfalls at major chemical plants and refineries?

Even if that were true, there’s no way you can visually tell whether that water is any dirtier than the water in the Mississippi River.

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But is it not pumping waste into the river?

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It’s not like a cartoon where there is green sludge coming out of a culvert.

What they pump into the river is waste water. Which, for most plants, is primarily made up of water that originally came out of the river, after it’s used in boilers and cooling towers. There is process waste water, but the solids, organics, etc. are removed by biological treatment systems. The sludge waste from those treatment system (which consists mostly of waste-eating microorganisms) is hauled off and used in landfills to speed up biodegradation.

The primary concern for chemical plants and refineries is biological oxygen demand, which is a catch-all for compounds in the waste water stream that will serve as food for microorganisms in the river - leading to a drop in oxygen levels as these microorganisms feed and reproduce. You can’t “see” BOD. Even if you could, many plants in South Louisiana actually discharge water that’s cleaner than the river itself.

There are cases where some chemical plants have been caught discharging solid waste, but it’s rare. And your description makes me think you’re just making shite up about the “shite pumping into the river” that you’ve supposedly seen.