One of the first giveaways is the smell, says Shamell Lavigne of how to recognize that the area she grew up in is steeped in "filth."

She was raised in the heart of what has become known as 'Cancer Alley,' an 85-mile-stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans where around 200 fossil fuel and petrochemical plants are clustered along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.  

The region handles around a quarter of US petrochemical production, which feeds public demand for things like chemicals, fertilizers and plastics. It earned its grim nickname from having some of the highest cancer risks in the US. 

"There's so many houses down each street that have been affected by cancer," says Lavigne. Sometimes this is every other house, she explains, or even multiple homes in a row where at least one or two family members have fallen ill.

For decades, 'Cancer Alley' facilities have been releasing a variety of toxic pollutants into the surrounding soil, water and air and local communities say they are paying a heavy price for the mountains of plastic the world produces. Simultaneously, the area has long ranked in the top 5% nationally for cancer risk. Though recent research from Johns Hopkins University in the US suggests the overall cancer threat is as many as 11 times higher than government estimates.

"I would describe it as a sacrifice zone," said Lavigne, who is now an environmental activist. "We have become the sacrificial lamb for the rest of the world to have single-use plastics."

The US is among several countries — including China, South Africa, Brazil, Iran and Saudi Arabia — expanding their petrochemical capacity as projections point towards ever greater plastic production.

Cancer, respiratory illness and infertility

Lavigne and her mother were galvanized to act after it was announced that a $9.4 billion plastics plant was to be built a few miles from the family home. They set up Rise St. James, a campaign organization that has helped spearhead local resistance against the industrial pollution that has also been connected to other health issues. 

The US's Toxic Release Inventory reveals a range of harmful pollutants linked to respiratory and reproductive issues, birth defects and autoimmune diseases  that are released into the air, water and land in 'Cancer Alley.'

Lavigne says health problems touch every family, including her own. She struggled with infertility and a miscarriage before having her daughter, who has grown up suffering from regular nosebleeds, allergic reactions and sinus infections that sometimes keep her off school. 

Now 10-years-old, her daughter limits time outside so she doesn't get sick. "It's literally heartbreaking," says Lavigne. 

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has however denied that residents of the area face disproportionate pollution burdens and health impacts.

Environmental racism 

Despite growing up in 'Cancer Alley,' environmental justice activist Joy Banner said it wasn't until adulthood that she understood the pollution problem had "racism at its heart." 

Four years ago, she and her twin sister Jo Banner set up the The Descendents Project to raise awareness about how 'Cancer Alley' intertwines with the legacy of slavery.

"The industrial pollution and proliferation that we are surrounded by now is something that started hundreds of years ago," said Banner.

Before petrochemical and fossil fuel companies moved into the area in the 1960s, this area of Louisiana is where, historically, slavery helped sugar plantations thrive. 

The Banner twins argue that Black residents, many of whom are descended from those forced to work the fields here, are now being disproportionately affected by petrochemical companies in 'Cancer Alley.' 

The UN has called what's happening there a case of "environmental racism." Several studies have found black residents face significantly higher pollution exposure rates. Where Lavigne was raised, most of the plants built since 1958 have been in majority black neighborhoods. 

Failures in monitoring and regulation

Though the US has regulations for pollution — most notably the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts — Banner believes 'Cancer Alley' is where it is today because authorities have been willing to turn a blind eye to plants exceeding pollution limits.  

"You're next to the Mississippi River and you have a government that's looking the other way anyhow, it's really extremely easy for them to come and pollute," said Banner. 

While companies are obliged to report their emissions data to the Environmental Protection Agency, the requirements don't cover all types of pollution, and self-reported data is often found to underestimate the true picture. Activists have criticized a lack of repercussions beyond fines for those that exceed their limits. 

Companies are also not required to install pollution monitors. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say there are only one or two in a dense stretch of industrial activity in 'Cancer Alley' — not nearly enough to really understand what people are breathing. 

Local resistance and litigation 

Groups like Lavigne's Rise St James have become pivotal in a growing hotbed of resistance to petrochemical expansion. And despite David and Goliath odds, they are seeing some wins. 

As part of the pushback against the proposed plastics plant near her family home, Lavigne's group has been active in local councils and the community, as well as encouraging banks to divest from the project, and taking the issue to court.

"We've been fighting them since 2018 and we've held them out of St. James and we're still fighting to keep them out," said Lavigne. 

Other local initiatives have managed to halt several major projects from moving into 'Cancer Alley'. Yet some local activists fear the toughest battles lie ahead, as the Trump administration vows to expand fossil fuel production and roll back environmental protections. 

But Lavigne says she is in the fight for the long haul. "Not wanting to see my people die premature deaths is one of the main things that keeps me going," she says. "If we are silent, they're thinking that it's okay to pollute us, it's okay to poison us, it's okay to just keep building these plants on top of us."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

This story was adapted from an episode of DW's Living Planet podcast. Find the audio version here.