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Wilma Subra, a chemical analyst, stands outside her New Iberia, La., office in 1999. Now 69, she is still working to rein in environmental degradation along Cancer Alley, an eye-watering corridor of more than 150 industrial facilities along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that produce a quarter of the nation's petrochemicals.
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A strong voice for environmental action in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

Wilma Subra, a chemical analyst, stands outside her New Iberia, La., office in 1999. Now 69, she is still working to rein in environmental degradation along Cancer Alley, an eye-watering corridor of more than 150 industrial facilities along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that produce a quarter of the nation's petrochemicals.

Wilma Subra, a chemical analyst, stands outside her New Iberia, La., office in 1999. Now 69, she is still working to rein in environmental degradation along Cancer Alley, an eye-watering corridor of more than 150 industrial facilities along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that produce a quarter of the nation’s petrochemicals.  (Brad Kemp / Lafayette Daily Advertiser)

A Louisiana oil refinery. Subra, a recipient of a MacArthur "Genius grant," is a fighter who has taken on refineries, chemical manufacturers and oil and gas companies, including BP over its cleanup of the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.

A Louisiana oil refinery. Subra, a recipient of a MacArthur “Genius grant,” is a fighter who has taken on refineries, chemical manufacturers and oil and gas companies, including BP over its cleanup of the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. (Jerry Grayson / Helifilms Australia)

Fires burn around the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. During the huge spill off the Louisiana coast, Subra joined with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network to prepare for oil reaching land.

Fires burn around the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. During the huge spill off the Louisiana coast, Subra joined with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network to prepare for oil reaching land.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spread in this 2010 photo. Subra warned of the potential danger from dispersants used to break up the slick and pushed for authorities not to burn off the oil when winds were blowing toward land.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spread in this 2010 photo. Subra warned of the potential danger from dispersants used to break up the slick and pushed for authorities not to burn off the oil when winds were blowing toward land. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Oil booms line wetlands of the Mississippi River in Venice, La., in this 2010 photo. After determining that dispersants contained neurotoxins, Subra demanded protective gear for cleanup workers. Federal authorities and BP officials had argued the dispersants were safe and warned workers they would be fired if they wore the gear. Subra prevailed.

Oil booms line wetlands of the Mississippi River in Venice, La., in this 2010 photo. After determining that dispersants contained neurotoxins, Subra demanded protective gear for cleanup workers. Federal authorities and BP officials had argued the dispersants were safe and warned workers they would be fired if they wore the gear. Subra prevailed.  (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

In this 2010 shot, workers clean oil residue from a jetty protecting a boat ramp in Gulfport, Miss. Eventually cleanup crews wore protective coveralls, but even that couldn't fully protect them from the Gulf's toxicity. "The husbands came in with it all over them and the wives washed their clothes," Subra said. "The husbands had symptoms and wives had symptoms: headaches, nausea, difficulty breathing, decreased lung function. Memory loss."

In this 2010 shot, workers clean oil residue from a jetty protecting a boat ramp in Gulfport, Miss. Eventually cleanup crews wore protective coveralls, but even that couldn’t fully protect them from the Gulf’s toxicity. “The husbands came in with it all over them and the wives washed their clothes,” Subra said. “The husbands had symptoms and wives had symptoms: headaches, nausea, difficulty breathing, decreased lung function. Memory loss.”  (Amanda McCoy / Biloxi Sun Herald)

Contractors use a vacuum truck to clean up crude oil that rose to the surface of an approximately 22-acre sinkhole in Bayou Corne, La., in June. A former BP contractor now working with the firm that created the sinkhole says Subra "is the voice of reason. She understands the rules and regulations because she's helped formulate some of them."

Contractors use a vacuum truck to clean up crude oil that rose to the surface of an approximately 22-acre sinkhole in Bayou Corne, La., in June. A former BP contractor now working with the firm that created the sinkhole says Subra “is the voice of reason. She understands the rules and regulations because she’s helped formulate some of them.”  (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

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