The Higher Rates of Cancer - Essay Example

The CajunCrawfishPie.com, the question was evaluated and responded to by indicating that “several scientific studies have been conducted which claim that the rate of cancer in the region is lower than the national average. According to the Cato Institute, cancer alley is an environmental myth. Many scientists have also declared that if there are any higher rates of illnesses within cancer alley, they are likely due to the high rates of people that smoke tobacco. Residents and environmental activists have claimed that the few scientific studies that have been conducted in the region have been faulty due to sloppy record keeping by the state” (CajunCrawfishPie.com, 2008, par. 3).   With the contrasting information, there is a need to seek other research to determine the validity of the contentions. In a review of Foreman’s (1998) article entitled “The Clash of Purposes: Environmental Justice and Risk Assessment”, the author explained that the magnified incidence of cancer in Louisiana was more predominantly caused by poor health care, more than other factors. As indicated, “the current scientific consensus is that behavioral (and some occupational) factors have been associated with cancer incidence in Louisiana but that there is no overall "cancer epidemic" in that state or the so-called "Cancer Alley" (Foreman, 1998, par. 12).   In another study that aimed to validate the credibility of the statement, Billings (2005) through his paper entitled “Cancer Corridors and Toxic Terrors—is it Safe to Eat and Drink?” and published in The American Clinical and Climatological Association stipulated that “the incidence of lung cancer is higher for the state as a whole than in the Industrial Corridor. Unfortunately, the incidence of lung cancer is also higher than the national incidence. This data would imply that factors other than the petrochemical industry and toxic exposures may be responsible” (Billings, 2005, p. 116). His findings corroborate and validate the scientific consensus from statistical information gathered and compared with the national average that “in Louisiana as a whole, as the data has shown, we do have an increased incidence of lung cancer when compared to the United States, but in the industrial corridor there is statistically significantly less lung cancer than in the state as a whole” (Billings, 2005, p. 125).   The essay hereby indicates that although there have been statements or generalizations that were published and have been propagated as facts, more research is needed to validate the contentions and determine their credibility. The reports that notoriously marked Cancer Alley as producing higher rates of cancer due to the presence of petrochemical organizations in the area were hereby disputed by reputable sources and research studies that proved the contention wrong.   Read More