Overview

• Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reports highlight the devastating health and human rights impacts of pollution from petrochemical plants in Texas and Louisiana, with communities near the Houston Ship Channel and Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' suffering disproportionately.
• The reports call for an end to the expansion of the petrochemical industry in these 'sacrifice zones' and for a rapid and equitable phase out of the use of fossil fuels.
• Affected communities, predominantly Latinx/Hispanic and Black, are exposed to toxic substances linked to a wide range of illnesses, and face barriers to justice and healthcare.
• Regulations are often unenforced, and many companies treat any fines from regulators as just another cost of doing business.
• The reports recommend more robust pollution monitoring, enhanced enforcement action, and remediation of all human rights harms caused by the industry.