Fertilizer’s toxic journey
From Louisiana’s “cancer alley” upriver to a soybean farm, then back down to the Gulf of Mexico where it feeds the dead zone.
by The Fern |
By Garrett Hazelwood and Eric Schmid
The chemical industry is big business in Louisiana. Companies here manufacture plastics, fuels, pesticides, and cleaning products. But one part of the chemical industry that’s often overlooked is the fertilizer business. Chemical fertilizer is a cornerstone of modern farming. It helps grow the food and food products billions of people eat. It’s also causing vast environmental damage.
In this episode of WWNO’s Sea Change podcast, you’re going to hear the story of modern fertilizer, and how this powerful concoction of chemicals has radically reshaped how we farm and what we eat. And how it’s poisoning communities, upending livelihoods, and choking the life out of a huge swath of the ocean.
