Official Public Statement on the Health Presentation by David Cresson at the St. James Parish Council Meeting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2026
(St. James, Louisiana)
Last week, during the Wednesday, April 1, 2026, regular meeting of the St. James Parish Council, David Cresson, President and CEO of the Louisiana Chemical Association and the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, presented selected (curated) information regarding health data in Louisiana. These materials included claims that Louisiana’s Industrial Corridor has some of the best health outcomes in the state.
The public is encouraged to approach health-related information sponsored or produced by industry-affiliated organizations with caution.
It is important to recognize that these individuals and organizations are not embedded in the daily life of our communities. They are not the ones worshipping in our churches, singing in our choirs, tending community gardens, gathering at benefit suppers, or caring for sacred spaces such as cemeteries and graveyards. In many cases, their interests are tied to development that may disrupt these spaces.
These organizations represent petrochemical and manufacturing companies and have a vested interest in protecting the reputation of those industries. As a result, the information presented should not be considered fully neutral.
While these materials reference health data, they are often presented selectively and do not fully account for the lived experiences of affected communities. This selective framing, sometimes called bias through selective comparison, can lead to an underestimation of real and localized health risks.
Five River Parishes Health Facts
- Definition of a Census Tract. A census tract is a small geographic area defined by the U.S. Census Bureau for collecting and analyzing population data. Each tract typically includes between 1,200 and 8,000 residents and is designed to remain stable over time, allowing for consistent comparisons across communities. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau Glossary)
- Importance of Census Tracts. Census tracts reflect lived experiences at the neighborhood level. They provide more precise and meaningful health and community data than larger geographic areas such as parishes because they capture local conditions and variations in risk factors, including environmental exposures such as air quality. (Source: Louisiana Tumor Registry, 2025)
- Census Tract 404 (4th District, St. James Parish). Cancer rate: 581 cases per 100,000 people, the second highest rate in the parish. (Source: Louisiana Tumor Registry, 2025 dataset)
- Census Tract 405 (5th District, St. James Parish). Cancer rate: 604 cases per 100,000 people, the highest rate in the parish and approximately 35 percent higher than the U.S. average. (Source: Louisiana Tumor Registry, 2025 dataset)
- St. James Parish Cancer Rates Overall. According to March 2025 data from the Louisiana Tumor Registry, every census tract in St. James Parish has a cancer incidence rate that exceeds the U.S. average. (Source: Louisiana Tumor Registry, Cancer Incidence by Census Tract 2012 to 2021)
Residents, policymakers, and stakeholders should honor shared experiences by listening to one another, prioritizing the voices of those who live with these impacts every day, and carefully evaluating information sources. This includes scrutinizing industry-sponsored materials for potential bias and seeking information from independent, peer-reviewed public health research.
Further Reading
- Air pollution is linked to higher cancer rates among Black or impoverished communities in Louisiana
Environmental Research Letters, 2022, Vol. 17, 014033
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac4360 - Total cancer risk estimates from measured concentrations of volatile organic compounds in industrialized southeastern Louisiana
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 122 (41), e2504770122
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2504770122 - How Federal and State Regulatory Systems Perpetuate Environmental Injustice in the United States: Industrial Ethylene Oxide Emissions as a Case Study
Environmental Justice, August 1, 2023, 16(4): 297 to 308
https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2021.0120
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Dr. Kimberly Terrell, Research Scientist with the Environmental Integrity Project, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, the Concerned Citizens of St. John, Refined Community Empowerment, Alsen St. Irma Lee Community Village, and other community partners.