The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans to Release Report on Findings of Water Quality Testing Study in Cancer Alley
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – During the summer of 2022, the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans sampled surface water throughout Cancer Alley to test for certain chemical contaminants. Evidence of toxic “forever chemicals” has been found.
On January 20, 2023, the Water Collaborative is releasing a report on our findings. We will host a report release lunch and panel discussion at the St. James Parish Library in Lutcher, LA–1879 W Main St., Lutcher, LA 70071–from 11 AM to 1 PM, followed by a 45-minute tour of several Cancer Alley sites, where toxic “forever chemicals” were found. We welcome members of the public and members of the media to join us in-person on January 20th and sign up to receive the report HERE.
Even rainwater is considered no longer safe to drink because PFAS chemicals have been detected. These chemicals are especially dangerous because they do not break down in the environment. PFAS have been associated with many adverse health effects, such as increased risk of certain cancers, reduced ability of the immune system to fight infection, increased risk of obesity, and developmental and fertility problems.
Cancer Alley is an 85 mile stretch of land between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. This area has been of public health interest for some time due to toxic air quality. According to the Human Rights Network, there are over 150 plants and facilities located in the area and they release more than 129.3 million pounds of toxic chemicals every year.
Cancer Alley has a deep-rooted history of environmental injustice and racism. What were once plantation sites are now owned by petrochemical and industrial facilities. The area is predominantly low-income and African American communities, and they are facing the brunt of pollution from these sites.
Cancer Alley has obvious air quality concerns, but water quality data in the area is seriously lacking. Because the Mississippi River is used as a drinking water source by most residents in this area, the Water Collaborative collected samples from the Mississippi River to start telling the story of drinking water quality in Cancer Alley, and throughout Southeast Louisiana.
“Water is a vital resource; one we use every day to drink, cook with, bathe in, and recreate. No one should be relegated to drinking or using polluted water simply because of where they live. It’s time we pay attention to industrial water contamination in the region and support affected communities through shared data, education, and better policy,” said Rebecca Malpass, the Director of Policy and Research for the Water Collaborative.
The Water Collaborative tested the Mississippi River for PFAS, BTEX, and 1,4-dioxane. PFAS and 1,4-dioxane are chemicals currently unregulated by the EPA. BTEX, an acronym for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, is a group of volatile organic compounds found in many petrochemical products.
To learn more about our water testing project and its results, please contact Rebecca Malpass, Policy Director at rebecca@nolawater.org or go to our website at www.nolawater.org.
Acknowledgements:
The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans is a 501c3. We would like to thank our funders and advisors for their generous support of our organization and efforts. In particular, we would like to thank Aqualateral, LLC, and the Climate Reality Project for funding our study and outreach.
We would also like to thank the Center for Applied Environmental Science (CAES) for funding the writing of our independent, third-party technical report, and we thank Ms. Wilma Subra for writing that report.
We would also like to acknowledge the numerous technical experts and advisors who helped us shape this project, including those from the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), Consumer Reports, and Pace Analytical Labs.
