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' Almost every household has someone that has died from cancer '
A statement from LDEQ said that its permit process is “ impartial and unbiased ”.
“ LDEQ handles all issues with a fair and equitable approach . LDEQ will work with EPA to resolve this matter ,” it said .
The Louisiana health department ’ s general counsel , Steven Russo , said in a statement reported by the Advocate that the department had received the complaint and was “ reviewing it closely ”.
A spokesman for Denka , Jim Harris , argued there were “ no widespread elevated cancer rates in St John the Baptist compared with the state average ”, pointing to Louisiana Tumor registry data over decades . Harris accused “ environmental activist groups ” of “ manipulating data and collecting and analyzing it in non‐scientific ways ”.
Recent studies have pointed to elevated cancer diagnoses in areas around the plant , and EPA data points to a cancer risk rate 50 times the national average in census tracts near the plant .