By Anna Hrybyk, Louisiana Bucket Brigade Program Manager
Did you go outside on Sunday morning and get a whiff of burning oil and chemicals? Did you get a headache this weekend? I myself did not let the children out to play Sunday morning because the air in New Orleans was making me sick.
There are several sources of chemical pollution that have been reported for Sunday January 15th:
- Turbine oil burning from Entergy Waterford 1&2 in St. Charles parish http://alerts.skytruth.org/report/c188184c-fa8b-3587-be93-b10e58982c7d#c=LABB
- Sodium Carbonate Peroxyhydrate leaking from a rail car in Avondale: http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/01/south_korean_container_has_sma.html
- Paraquat Dichloride in the air from a tank in Westwego: http://alerts.skytruth.org/report/c8488141-7e80-37e2-8438-97a02423b70c – c=rss
Keep in mind that these three accidents are chemical releases that have been reported. In Louisiana, we are surrounded by a petrochemical industry that consistently does not report because it compromises the bottom line.
On Monday January 16th, Dr. King’s day, folks in North Baton Rouge woke up to a release of the cancer causing chemical Vinyl Chloride from Formosa Plastics.
http://alerts.skytruth.org/report/20acecfa-1ffa-3a07-b136-9bd619ea739d – c=rss
In 2012, I urge you to pay attention to pollution in your environment. It is not in the corporate interest to report and the state is “cozy with industry” so it is up to you and only you to report environmental crimes. What do you see, smell, hear and feel? Report it to our iWitness Pollution Map via text (504) 27 27 OIL, or email report@labucketbrigade.org or online at map.labucketbrigade.org.
In the spirit of Dr. King, we cannot rest until environmental injustice is overcome.
