Sacrifice Zones, Slow Violence, & Pushing Back: Noah, Theriault, Ph.D.

The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast

Episode 55 of The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast is available now!

It's called: “Sacrifice Zones, Slow Violence, and Pushing Back against Chemical Pollution."

It features a conversation with Noah Theriault, Ph.D.

Noah is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of History at at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a political ecologist and specializes in how capitalism shapes social and environmental inequality.

You’ll hear Noah explore:

• How he sees toxic chemical pollution as "state-sanctioned violence" and environmental injustice.
• How marginalized and racialized communities are frequently exposed to toxic chemicals and the places they live become uninhabitable and what he calls “sacrifice zones.”
• How some communities are pushing back against toxic chemical pollution.

Thank you for listening!

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Links:
Noah Theriault, Ph.D.
“Toxic Research. Political Ecologies and the Matter of Damage” by Noah Theriault and Simi Kang

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Chapter

1. Introduction to the Chemical Sensitivity Podcast and MCS (00:00:00)

2. Defining environmental justice and its dimensions (00:04:00)

3. The Flint Michigan water crisis as an example of environmental injustice (00:06:38)

4. Dismissal of MCS and toxic chemical impacts by professionals (00:08:16)

5. Complexity of chemical interactions in everyday environments (00:09:58)

6. Regulation of chemicals and power dynamics (00:11:43)

7. Privilege and varying levels of exposure to toxic pollution (00:13:41)

8. Sacrifice zones and marginalized communities (00:16:03)

9. Connection between chemical weapons and household products (00:18:18)

10. Coalition building for those with MCS (00:19:58)

11. Challenges in organizing against toxic chemical pollution (00:21:16)

12. Limitations of individual consumer choices in capitalist culture (00:22:20)

13. Paradox of protective equipment produced by polluting companies (00:25:25)

14. Citizen science and community-led toxin measurement (00:27:03)

15. Future of collaborative research with impacted communities (00:29:04)

16. Conclusion and podcast information (00:31:38)