Impact of environmental and socio‐economic stressors leading to unequal distribution of COVID‐19 incidences in the state of Louisiana

Abstract

Louisiana (LA) ranks fifth in the United States in cancer mortality rate. LA's infamous “cancer alley” is a well evidenced region near the southeast part of the Mississippi river surrounding the petrochemical hub of the state. LA has also experienced a high COVID‐19 death rate and incidences compared to other states during the recent pandemic. In this study we analyzed publicly available datasets related to health and socio‐economic parameters in LA to determine the factors triggering high incidences and deaths caused by COVID‐19. Correlation analysis was performed to find the impact of different parameters on the outcome of COVID‐19. Our analysis showed higher COVID‐19 incidences in the parishes which are in and around the “cancer alley” with a correlation of r = 0.9. Interestingly, results also indicated a strong correlation ( r = 0.9) between the death rates caused by asbestos toxicity to COVID‐19 caused death rate. Furthermore, we found that office‐administration related employment has a positive correlation to COVID‐19 incidences in the “cancer alley.” However, we also found both white and black races are equally affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic in the “cancer alley” region. In conclusion, our analysis strongly suggests that inhabiting “cancer alley” could significantly enhance the chances of getting affected by SARS‐CoV‐2 virus compared to other regions in LA.