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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An Iowa farm county seeks answers amid cancer rates 50% higher than national average
EMMETSBURG, IOWA – Raised in rural Iowa, 71-year-old Maureen Reeves Horsley once considered her tiny hometown in the northwest part of the state to be a blessed space. She recalls a time when the streams…
Seeking answers to a cancer crisis in Iowa, researchers question if agriculture is to blame
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 breast cancer, and…
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…
As nitrate levels soar in Iowa, new research underscores risks for babies
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, including low birth…
“It doesn’t have to be this way” – Scientists confirm Iowa farm pollution is creating dire health risks
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 sparking heated debate…
Cancer risk doubles for Iowa, NC pesticide applicators who used carbaryl, study finds
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 led by the…
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…
Outrage in Iowa – Residents demand action to clean up dangerously polluted water
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 that are…
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…
As Iowans wrestle with polluted waters, politics get in the way
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 now, after the…
New warnings of water contamination from farm pollution in Wisconsin
While all eyes have been on Iowa this summer, where levels of harmful nitrate contamination of water supplies spiked well above federal safety standards, nitrate pollution has also been persistently plaguing water sources in other…
Environmental groups urge Iowa to strengthen water standards amid rising cancer rates
Environmental groups are pressing Iowa regulators for stricter water protections by getting up-to-date with federal recommendations and lowering nitrate limits, alleging that current safeguards are outdated, weak and leave Iowans exposed to toxics tied to…
“Time to change”- Iowa water quality scientist launches long-shot bid for state office
Three years ago Chris Jones was a highly regarded research engineer at the University of Iowa, where he directed stream pollution monitoring work and published details about the state’s dismal water quality in peer-reviewed scientific…
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