Toxic tensions in the heart of 'Cancer Alley'

From:  CNN

The EPA says this town has the nation's highest risk of developing cancer from air toxins. The plant emitting the toxins says otherwise. Locals are outraged.

By Victor Blackwell, Wayne Drash and Christopher Lett, CNN

Updated 7:36 PM ET, Fri October 20, 2017

EPA: Plant emits 99% of US chloroprene pollution 08:28

LaPlace, Louisiana (CNN)Geraldine Watkins sits at the kitchen table in her ranch home, rattling off the names of friends and relatives in her small Louisiana town who've died of cancer over the last 40 years.

Her grandchildren suffer an array of ailments, from skin conditions to breathing problems. Her 7-year-old great-grandson's breathing is so labored, she says, "you can feel his heart trying to jump out of his chest."

Watkins lives in the shadow of a plant that spews chloroprene -- a chemical so toxic the Environmental Protection Agency says nearby residents face the highest risk in the country of developing cancer from air toxins.  MORE