In Mossville, a town in Louisiana, toxic emissions from industrial plants have been reported as causing severe health issues for residents. These plants include oil refineries, petrochemical plants, and the country’s largest vinyl chloride manufacturer (a component of PVC plastic), all emitting millions of pounds of toxins each year into nearby air, water, and soil.
The Town in Louisiana Has Dangerous Dioxin Levels
And it isn’t just speculative: In 1998, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) tested the blood of Mossville residents and found staggering results; the levels of dioxins in their blood—hazardous chemicals that cause cancer, damage to the reproductive, immune, and hormone systems, diabetes, and other diseases—were found to be at three times the levels of the average U.S. citizen. For decades these residents of the town in Louisiana have been unable to get answers from anyone, and now face a buyout from another petrochemical plant in Mossville.
Severe Health Issues
The lives of these residents have been forever altered for the worse: one resident even reports that he cannot bath because the water coming out of the tap causes his skin to peel off. Most everyone around them suffers from one or more type of cancer and/or acute diabetes. Many have thyroid issues and have suffered miscarriages. Chronic skin conditions, rashes, respiratory issues, memory problems, and learning disabilities also plague many in the community.
Denial
Nearby hospitals and doctors avoid addressing the issue of toxins causing severe health issues because the plants are a source of employment for many in the neighboring town of Westlake. They call it “too controversial.” Even our nation’s public health institutions arguably ignore the role that pollution plays in causing cancer and other ailments, instead focusing on hereditary factors and lifestyle choices like smoking.
Agency Corruption
But whose ultimate responsibility is it to ensure that these residents and others nearby are not physically threatened by toxic emissions from these plants? Even though ATSDR found horrifying levels of dioxins in residents’ blood, the agency has arguably downplayed the findings. In fact, the agency first met with industry representatives before disclosing its findings. Even in spite of the scientists they hired urging them to locate the source of contamination and provide both control for it and healthcare to nearby residents, the agency has taken no action. Instead, it told the Environmental Protection Agency that the problem was the fish, and recommended that that they dredge the sediment in the water. ATSDR has a history of minimizing health problems associated with polluting industries; congressional investigations have found this to plague this agency in particular.
Environmental Toxin Attorneys in Louisiana
The presence of toxic contamination and poor health effects is a pattern in this town in Louisiana and some other areas. Agencies—both local and national—also often obscure the risks out of fear that stricter controls could drive local business away. What ends up happenings is that individuals and their families accept illness as personal tragedies.
The attorneys of Harrell & Nowak have spent years litigating against negligent parties like these. If you need legal assistance with an environmental hazard issue, contact us for a free consultation today.