This article was written by Ogechi Obi and Fatah “Zain Mozai,” Moms Clean Air Force’s summer interns.
Our names are Ogechi Obi and Fatah “Zain Mozai.” As summer 2024 interns at Moms, we’ve been inspired by the action of parents and caregivers from around the country.
We’ve also learned about a particularly alarming issue for children’s health and communities: plastics and sacrifice zones.
Tell Congress: Support the Protecting Communities From Plastics Act
Sacrifice zones are neighborhoods that bear the greatest burden of environmental threats like climate change and industrial pollution. They are often in historically marginalized communities of color, and many are impacted by pollution from petrochemical facilities—the giant factories that produce plastics from fossil fuels.
These facilities spew air pollution—like heavy metals, formaldehyde, dioxins, and dangerous soot pollution—that harms kids. These toxic pollutants can cause cancers, neurological damage, respiratory and reproductive issues, and immune system failure. One study found that those living within 3.1 miles of a petrochemical facility had a 30% higher leukemia risk than those in communities with no petrochemical facilities.
No child deserves to grow up in a sacrifice zone. That’s why Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-2) and Senators Cory Booker (NJ) and Jeff Merkley (OR) have introduced the Protecting Communities From Plastics Act.
This act would address pollution disparities—often the legacy of racist zoning and red-lining practices—that have created an unequal health burden for communities near plastics facilities. People of color or of lower socioeconomic status are among the most impacted by pollution from these facilities. This trend is worse in southern states, where environmental oversight is weaker than elsewhere.
Pollution from plastics facilities is an overwhelming children’s health and environmental justice issue, but we’ve learned this summer that the power of Moms and caregivers stops at nothing to protect kids and communities.
Join Moms in telling your members of Congress to support the Protecting Communities From Plastics Act.
Learn more about Moms’ work on petrochemical pollution.
Tell Congress: Support the Protecting Communities From Plastics Act