This week on Behind The Lens, with little public input, Exxon received local government approval to install a pipeline to carry highly-compressed carbon dioxide in St. James Parish in the area widely known as “Cancer Alley”.

The plans to lay the pipeline alarmingly close to homes and businesses, has experts and residents concerned about the seeming lack of regulations and public transparency. The proximity might be worrisome for any pipeline, but CO₂ pipelines are particularly concerning, critics say, because carbon dioxide is a transparent, odorless asphyxiant that doesn’t dissipate like natural gas.

Abandoned storage sites for leaded gasoline and lead-based pipes and paint means that New Orleans deals with a long legacy of lead pollution. Lead doesn’t decompose over time, meaning its contamination risk remains indefinitely. Scientists at Tulane have discovered an interesting finding that could provide answers to dealing with this dangerous problem: the ubiquitous little brown lizards running around New Orleans are living – and even thriving – with levels of lead in their blood that should be lethal to creatures far bigger, both two- and four-legged.

This week, special guests Elise Plunk of Louisiana Illuminator and Emily Sanders of ExxonKnews join The Lens’ environmental reporter Delaney Nolan. 

Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music Confidence Trick by Podington Bear soundofpicture.com. 

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