Louisiana communities are left in the dark on toxic air – and industry helped keep it that way

First publishedJul 20, 14:00 UTC

Last updatedJul 21, 03:49 UTC · 8m ago

114:00–14:28 UTC1 outletThe Guardian US

14:0017:2720:5400:2103:49

The Guardian US8Louisiana communities are left in the dark on toxic air – and industry helped keep it that wayJul 20, 14:00 UTCOpen ↗

1 outlets over time — hover a bar for its window & outletslast updated

● Story signals

How strong is this topic?

5.8/10Significanceimpact & urgency

8.0/10Source trustoutlet authority

1Outletsindependent sources

Significance weighs impact, urgency & coverage breadth · Source trust is the outlets' average authority · more outlets means a more confirmed story.

Reported by 1 outlet — The Guardian US. See all sources ↓

Lawmakers weakened community air monitoring as industry pushed back against greater scrutinyKimbrelle Kyereh lives just a few hundred feet from the massive chemical storage tanks in St Rose, in south-eastern Louisiana. Oily fumes sometimes drift into her home, bringing headaches, nausea and insomnia. On one such night, she grabbed her son at 3am and fled to an all-night Ihop.In 2023, after years of coping with the noxious odors, Kyereh began collecting air samples in her yard for a local environmental justice group. But soon after, Louisiana passed an industry-backed law that sharply restricted how that kind of data could be used.Ten of Louisiana’s heaviest air-polluting facilities, based on self-reported data shared with the EPA, operate without a single public air monitor within five miles.This list includes Dow Chemical’s plastics factory in Plaquemine, which is about eight miles from the nearest air monitoring station.

Read the full report at The Guardian US ↗

• Coverage card1 outlet

  1Coverage

  

  Outlet lineup

  Scouting report

  Louisiana communities are left in the dark on toxic air – and industry helped keep it that way

  Sources1

  TypeCoverage

  The Guardian USJul 20, 14:00

• The Guardian US8↗