BIOMAGNIFICATION AND BIOACCUMULATION OF POLLUTANTS AND HOW THEY DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT THE PEOPLE OF “CANCER ALLEY”
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Date
2020-06
Authors
Gyetvai, Abigail M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This honors thesis examines the environmental, sociopolitical, and socioeconomical
aspects of Cancer Alley, Louisiana, United States of America. Cancer Alley is
a name dubbed to an eighty-five-mile-long corridor in Louisiana that is dotted with
petrochemical plants that continuously poison its residents. The people living in this
area are primarily lower-income, people of color who disproportionately face the full
force of environmental ills that the petrochemical factories bring. The case of Cancer
Alley is layered and delves into not only environmental issues – such as pollution and
how various chemicals can move throughout the body, but it also deals with human
rights issues and how the disempowered and disenfranchised residents in the area are
being exploited due to their powerlessness. Various chemical pollutants have been
emitted into the Cancer Alley air, land, and water, contributing to the worsening
conditions of the area. The primary findings from this research have been that the more
marginalized the group living within Cancer Alley, the more likely they are to be at risk
for cancer and various other diseases. This honors thesis concludes with the application
of my proposed solutions to alleviating environmental justice legislative issues
surrounding Cancer Alley.
Description
46 pages
Keywords
Cancer Alley, Louisiana, United States, Environmental justice, Bioaccumulation, risk of cancer, poverty