We wish to create an awareness among the public with this wake-up call about pollution hazards.

We must not continue under this cloud of complacency, which allows industry in this Parish to continue working with too little sincere care for the Citizens of the community where they have facilities using products that are harmful to humans and animals. In spite of a number of acts, legislations, Constitutional amendments and environmental agencies, our state and our parish have failed to check this threat of pollution, especially when our children are in school buildings that have been deemed unhealthy for occupancy.

Pollutants in the air create a variety of dangers for health and the environment. Air pollutants emitted directly from traffic, power generation or industry are known as primary-pollutants.

As well as causing serious problems in their immediate vicinity, primary pollutants can also travel long distances and can chemically react in the atmosphere to produce secondary pollutants such as acid rain or ozone. Certain things pollutants can contribute to is climate change.

Water becomes polluted when some foreign substance is present in it.

This foreign substance is detrimental to the health of man, animals and plants. In other words, the quality of water changes and it becomes less suitable for drinking purposes, agricultural activities for aquatic creatures or other purposes.

I hope this will awaken the people to their role in making the environment clean.

Children are our greatest assets. Without our children, we have no future. Teach them and keep them safe. Guide them on a path of resilience for life’s uncertainties.

No matter who they are and no matter where they live, our job is easy: We must protect our children.

Timeline Certainties

• 2010-EPA classified Chloroprene as a likely human carcinogen.

• The National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), a screening-level assessment for the United States was released in December 2015 and estimated higher than expected levels of chloroprene in LaPlace.

• EPA verified the modeled emissions data used in the 2011 assessment with the facility owners, DuPont and Denka, prior to releasing the national assessment in December 2015.

• DHH on Nov. 13, 2015, in this Summary DATA of the (Leon Godchaux site) found it necessary that the school placed there after the fire at East St. John Elementary should move.

• 2018-NATA/EPA identified the DuPont facility as creating the greatest off-site risk of cancer of any manufacturing facility in the United States.

Everyone deserves to have Clean Air.

— Robert Taylor, Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish