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As COVID-19 ravages U.S., ‘Cancer Alley’ residents continue fight against pollution
Liu Xiaoqian
02:00

“Cancer Alley” is located in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana, informally named for the high incidence of the disease diagnosed there.

This toxic zone spans about 135 kilometers along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

In 2015, America’s environment agency, the EPA, confirmed the region faces a significantly higher cancer risk.

It’s a predominantly Black community whose members have been breathing air heavily polluted from surrounding chemical plants for many years.

On March 2, United Nations human rights officials released a report condemning the “environmental racism” that gave rise to Cancer Alley.

UN experts also warned of possible violations of cultural rights, as at least four ancestral burial grounds could be destroyed by further planned chemical plant construction. 

Local residents believe the chemical industry is responsible for their health problems. But some leaders in Louisiana reject industrial pollution as the main cause of cancers in the area.

CGTN’s Liu Xiaoqian traveled to Louisiana and spoke to some residents to see how air pollution is affecting their lives and what measures the government is taking to reduce pollution.

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