"A new Tulane study finds that air pollution could be causing higher rates of cancer in low-income communities in Louisiana. Louisiana has the 7th highest cancer rate in the United States. The study found that higher pollution levels were linked to higher cancer rates among the most impoverished census tracts.
The report compares the most recent data from the Louisiana Tumor Registry, published in 2021, with pollution-related cancer risk from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2005 National Air Toxics Assessment. It also accounts for race and poverty status, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We shouldn't need this extra bit of evidence,” said Kimberly Terrell, a Research Scientist at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic and lead author of the report. “These communities have disproportionate cancer risk because..hopefully this (study) will be all the more motivation for state decision makers to take action to reduce toxic air pollution in poor communities.”"
Tegan Wendland reports for WWNO (New Orleans Public Radio) June 24, 2021.
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