Myrtle Grove Trailer Park
Myrtle Grove Trailer Park was located in Iberville Parish, on the southern end of the town of Plaquemine. In 1997, the Upper Plaquemine Aquifer tested positive for high levels of vinyl chloride. Vinyl chloride (VC) is classified by the EPA as a Group A human carcinogen. Symptoms of VC exposure can include: liver cancer, nerve damage, and skin issues. Early tests in animals showed that long term exposure caused reproductive issues (New York Times 2003).
The Myrtle Grove Trailer Park’s water supply came from the contaminated aquifer. Residents were not notified until 5 years later, in what state and local officials called an unfortunate incident of “human error” (New York Times 2003). In the summer of 2001, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do testing of the groundwater flow in the area. Dow Chemical also did their own testing under the guidelines of LDEQ (EPA 2004).
In 2002, former residents filed a lawsuit against Dow for the alleged contamination. U.S. district judge Ralph Tyson dismissed the claims for physical injuries. In 2006 he dismissed the remaining claims related to mental distress and increased risk for future diseases (WAFB 2006). The contamination made insurance rates skyrocket, and the landlord shut down the trailer park, giving each resident $2,000 for relocation (New York Times 2003).
In 2011, Dow Chemical was found liable for the vinyl chloride contamination by Judge Jerome M. Winsberg. He ruled that Dow was responsible for cleaning up the groundwater pollution. A process called Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA), where naturally occurring bacteria breaks down the vinyl chloride, along with increased well monitoring and testing was the recommended course of action (The Advocate 2011).