chloroprene
Coverage of chloroprene in the Nexus archive.
- Louisiana communities are left in the dark on toxic air – and industry helped keep it that way
Louisiana communities near industrial facilities face toxic air exposure, but an industry-backed law limits the use of community-collected air data. Ten major polluters operate without public air monitors within five miles, and the state does not monitor three key carcinogens—ethylene oxide, chloroprene, and formaldehyde.
- Louisiana communities are left in the dark on toxic air — and industry helped keep it that way
Louisiana residents near industrial facilities face toxic air pollution with limited public monitoring. A 2023 industry-backed law restricted community-collected air data, and state monitors often lack proximity to major polluters or fail to test for key carcinogens like ethylene oxide, chloroprene, and formaldehyde.
- Denka agrees to pay nearly $1 million over hazardous waste violations at Louisiana plant
Denka Performance Elastomer agreed to pay $996,703 to settle federal allegations of mishandling hazardous chloroprene waste at its Louisiana plant, which exposed workers and the community to serious health risks. The EPA requires the company to remove waste from an outdoor brine pit, upgrade waste-handling systems, and implement safety measures before resuming operations.
- New Orleans News Quiz: How a documentary about the surfing industry started a censorship battle in St. John Parish
A documentary titled 'The Big Sea' about chemical pollution in St. John the Baptist Parish, which criticizes Denka, a company linked to cancer risks, was initially canceled by the parish president but rescheduled after public backlash. The screening, rescheduled for Juneteenth, highlights tensions over censorship and environmental concerns.
- Canceled ‘Cancer Alley’ documentary screening in St. John will move forward amid public backlash
A documentary screening about chemical pollution in St. John the Baptist Parish, canceled months earlier amid claims of pressure from the parish president, will now proceed after public backlash. The event, rescheduled for June 19, highlights links between industrial pollution and environmental justice in a majority-Black community.
- Lawmakers fail to protect Cancer Alley communities through real-time air monitoring
Louisiana lawmakers rejected a bill to implement real-time air monitoring for communities near oil and petrochemical refineries, unlike California which established such a system in 2017. The failure to act leaves Cancer Alley, a region with high cancer rates and pollution from over 200 industrial facilities, without access to critical air quality data.