Cancer in the Corn Belt is an ongoing series exposing evidence that Iowa’s industrial agriculture is fueling a public health crisis: soaring cancer rates and heightened risks for babies and pregnant women.
From new science to the stories of struggling families, the series highlights environmental causes, lax regulation and calls for bold reforms in America’s Heartland.
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As Iowans wrestle with polluted waters, politics get in the way
By Carey Gillam When a team of scientists embarked two years ago on a $1 million landmark study of Iowa’s persistent water quality problems, they knew that the findings would be important to share. But…
WATCH: Cancer and water contamination fuel public outcry in Iowa
Hundreds of Iowans gathered at Drake University in early August to confront a growing water quality crisis linked to the state’s powerful agricultural industry. Community leaders, scientists and farmers warned of dangerously high levels of…
Outrage in Iowa – Residents demand action to clean up dangerously polluted water
By Carey Gillam DES MOINES, Iowa- Several hundred Iowa residents gathered in the state capital this week, calling on public officials – and each other – to take swift action against dangerously polluted water supplies…
WATCH: Controversial water contamination report targets Iowa agriculture
A controversial Iowa water safety report has confirmed what many people in the state have long feared to be true: Dangerously high levels of farm chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides are polluting waterways with potentially…
Cancer risk doubles for Iowa, NC pesticide applicators who used carbaryl, study finds
By Brian Bienkowski Pesticide applicators in North Carolina and Iowa who sprayed the insecticide carbaryl often during their career have a higher risk of getting stomach, esophageal, tongue and prostate cancers, according to new research…
“It doesn’t have to be this way” – Scientists confirm Iowa farm pollution is creating dire health risks
By Carey Gillam Agricultural operations across Iowa are a leading cause of significant water pollution problems in the state, posing dire risks to public and environmental health, according to a new scientific report that is…
As nitrate levels soar in Iowa, new research underscores risks for babies
By Carey Gillam New research out of Iowa adds to a wide body of evidence showing that when pregnant women are exposed to nitrates in drinking water, it raises the risks of problematic birth outcomes,…
Children are paying the costs for Iowa’s “drinking water crisis”
Iowa is currently facing an unprecedented drinking water crisis. Recent reports indicate alarming nitrate levels in the Raccoon River; so high that city officials enacted emergency measures such as lawn water bans, to ensure water…
Seeking answers to a cancer crisis in Iowa, researchers question if agriculture is to blame
By Carey Gillam INDIANOLA, Iowa – Six months ago, Alex Hammer was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 37. Dianne Chambers endured surgery, chemotherapy and dozens of rounds of radiation to fight aggressive…
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