Petcoke in Chicago, asthma in Detroit, untreated sewage in Baton Rouge, cancer in the suburbs of Buffalo. From this documentary comes stories of low-income communities who have been targeted as easy dumping sites - arguably people who are too busy working several jobs and providing for their families to take the time to fight back against big companies.
Sixty eight percent of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal plant; 1 in 6 African American children have asthma compared to 1 in 10 in the general population. Environmental injustice is a raging issue in the United States and if you're black, Asian or Latino or Native American in the United States, you're more likely to breath polluted air than if you're white. Additionally, if you're white and poor, the likelihood of being exposed to industrial pollution is higher, too. The federal agency monitoring these issues is crafting a new environmental justice plan, but critics say it fails to protect vulnerable communities from toxins trapping them in poverty and poor health.
Watch and listen as a team from Al Jazeera The Stream talks about this crucial issue with advocates and environmental activists from affected communities.
