founded in the 1790s by Jack Moss, an ex-slave, and was one of the first communities of free black people in the south. A previously thriving community was soon in proximity to multiple industrial plants that were located in the neighboring town of Westlake. The industrial plants that sit surrounding Mossville include an oil refinery, several petrochemical plants, and one of the country’s largest concentrations of manufacturers of vinyl chloride which is the main ingredient in polyvinyl chloride, or the plastic known as PVC. All of these facilities emit millions of pounds of toxins into the air, water, and soil each year. A lifelong resident Llen LeBlanc told his story about living in Mossville back in 2015. LeBlanc is on disability and has had seizures, liver problems, a stroke, tremors, insomnia, fatigue, and depression plague his life. He also attributes his health problems not too unhealthy habits or that they are hereditary but to the toxic emissions from the industrial plants that are located in Westlake. LeBlanc said that he has known for more than 15 years that his body courses with toxins and would trade anything for a new life. The Mossville Environmental Action Now (MEAN) was organized in 1998 by a group of local residents. MEAN had the help of Greenpeace to convince a federal agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct toxicological testing. The Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) drew blood from 28 Mossville residents, including LeBlanc. The screenings were essentially looking for dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, also known as some of the most hazardous chemicals in science. The toxicology results showed that the average dioxin level among the Mossville community was triple that of the general United States population. The dioxin rates were also among the highest ever recorded in the country. Environmental racism Many scholars and residents of Cancer Alley have referred to the area as a "frontline example of environmental racism." Environmental racism can be defined as the institutional rules, regulations, policies, or government/corporate decisions that deliberately target certain communities for locally undesirable land uses and lax enforcement of zoning and environmental laws, resulting in communities being disproportionately exposed to toxic and hazardous waste based on race. Environmental racism can also be caused by several factors. These factors include intentional neglect, the alleged need for a receptacle for pollutants in urban areas, and a lack of institutional