Palliative Care in Cancer Alley: A Discussion on Environmental Racism

In southern Louisiana, a heavily polluted industrial corridor is nationally referred to as “Cancer Alley” due to the excess cancer risk imposed by air toxin levels far exceeding EPA maximum standards. The Palliative Medicine service at a tertiary care center near Cancer Alley sees a number of patients with multiple concurrent cancers, who attribute some of their physical and existential suffering to this ongoing toxic exposure. The challenges these patients face offer lessons for Palliative Care clinicians practicing near “hot spots” of environmental toxins across the country.