This episode is about Cancer Alley. A place where the risk of getting cancer is 50 times higher than the national average. A place that the United Nations refers to as “the textbook definition of environmental racism”. A place that has more polluting facilities per square mile than anywhere else in the United States. The ultimate sacrifice zone. We need to talk about Cancer Alley. Learn More about Cancer Alley*: History of Cancer Alley Story Map of Cancer Alley UN News Report - Cancer Alley Research Article: Employment in Cancer Alley Plantation (i.e. Slavery) Tourism *If you are unable to v ..read more

As we continue our series on “Sacrifice Zones”, we turn our attention to Cancer Alley, a particularly insidious area in Louisiana that is riddled with petrochemical plants and various chemical facilities. In a major step, the EPA has filed a lawsuit against Denka and DuPont, companies with long-standing histories of polluting in Cancer Alley. On this episode, we begin our discussion of Cancer Alley by talking about this lawsuit by the EPA. Stay tuned! Learn More about the EPA’s lawsuit against the Denka Plant*: Lawsuit: EPA vs. Denka and Dupont Report: "Waiting to Die: Toxic Emissions and Dis ..read more

**This episode is dedicated to Mary Gladell Rice Martin (1932 - 2023). She was an amazing woman, a pillar in her community, and a lifelong BASF employee in South Carolina. Her life was the motivation for this episode.** BASF is the world’s largest chemical company. BASF is also one of the world’s greatest purveyors of environmental racism and injustice. Part 4 of our series on “Sacrifice Zones” dives into ProPublica’s investigation into the sacrifice zones created from the work of BASF that goes into just one product: Cascade Dishwasher Detergent. Join us! Learn More about BASF and its impac ..read more

Part 3 of our series on sacrifice zones takes a look at ProPublica’s investigative reporting on sacrifice zones. ProPublica’s analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of excess cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable. This work has provided tremendous, data-driven analysis that gives support and evidence to the environmental injustices that residents of predominantly Black, Latino, and low-income communities throughout the United States have kno ..read more

Part 2 of our series on sacrifice zones takes a look at the world stage. There are areas all around the globe where resource extraction, dirty energy production, and horrid waste management practices have led to sacrifice zones all around the world. Zones where the children are poisoned with lead and other heavy metals. Zones where the life expectancy for adults is 20-25 years lower than average. Zones where the toxic environment is literally killing people. We need to talk about these issues and think about how we can fight against them. Stay tuned! Learn More about Global Sacrifice Zone ..read more

Today marks the beginning of a series of episodes about sacrifice zones. Have you heard of them? They are areas all throughout the world that are in close proximity to intense pollution produced by intensive and concentrated industry. These areas are most often inhabited by communities of color, low-income families, and indigenous populations. Not surprising. We need to talk about this. Join us for this new series! Learn More about Sacrifice Zones*: Sacrifice Zones - How people of color are targeted No More Sacrifice Zones - Center for Health, Environment, and Justice Origin of "Sacrifice Z ..read more

The City of Baltimore is in the midst of a water crisis, decades in the making. From E. Coli contamination leading to a week-long boil water advisory last September to on-going disruptions and frustration from the residents, we need to take a look at this issue and consider the burdens that come when communities of color are forced to live with this type of water insecurity. Let’s talk about it! Learn More about Baltimore’s Water Issues: Sept. 2022: Water system shut down due to E. Coli contamination (Washington Post) Sept. 2022: Statement on Baltimore water system from Legal Defense Fund (NA ..read more

Gas stoves have always been touted as the superior way to cook, whether you are grilling outside or making dinner in the home. However, they have come under a lot of scrutiny for their connection to childhood asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Many commentators even suggested that the use of gas stoves presents an environmental justice issue! Earlier this month, the chair of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission suggested that gas stoves could be banned due to health concerns, which sent the internet into a frenzy. But it got me thinking... Should gas stoves be banned? Are they an en ..read more

In August 2022, major flooding disrupted the operation of the O.B Curtis Water Treatment Plant, which caused residents in Jackson, MS to go without water for over a week. While this disruption garnered national attention, it put a spotlight on the water issues that Jackson, MS has endured for decades. So how did we get here? And what is being done to address these systemic water system issues? We talk about it on this episode of the Environmental Justice Lab. Helpful links: Title VI Complaint by NAACP Complaint and Order issued by the Department of Justice Schools close due to ongoing water c ..read more

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023 and to the (new and improved) Environmental Justice Lab Podcast. It is exciting to think about all that we can do together this upcoming year. On this episode, I want to reintroduce you to the podcast. Many of you have been listening since I started the podcast this past summer. Many of you are listening for the first time. In any case, I am so glad that you’re here. I want to tell you a bit about myself, why I started this podcast, how we are working to improve the podcast, and ultimately what I want this podcast to accomplish. Stay tuned! Connect with our Env ..read more