Iowa’s high cancer rates must be addressed

This week, in-depth stories by Gazette reporters Erin Jordan and Brittney Miller has sought to explain why Iowa has the nation’s second-highest cancer rate and the fastest growing rate of new cancers.

It’s impossible to blame cancer cases on a single factor. But Jordan reported that oncologists and cancer researchers are looking at Iowa’s biggest industry, namely agriculture. And more specifically long-term exposure to nitrates running off ag land and the use of farm chemicals.

“If you did an aerial map of Iowa, we are — river to river and north to south — a bath of ag chemicals: herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, nitrates,” said Dr. Richard Deming, a Des Moines oncologist, at The Gazette’s Iowa Ideas conference last fall.

Studies are seeking to break through the conventional wisdom in this farm state that the government has cleared pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals for safe use on farms. The nitrate limit of 10 mg/`L in drinking water was set to fight blue-baby syndrome, which depletes oxygen in infants’ blood when exposed to high nitrate levels.

True, it’s been decades since blue baby syndrome has been diagnosed in Iowa. But a growing body of evidence points to the distinct possibility that long-term exposure to lower nitrate levels could cause other health issues including cancer. And if farm chemicals aren’t the primary cause of cancer cases, long-term exposure, researchers argue, could be a contributing factor.

Private wells, used as a drinking water source for 43 million Americans, are more prone to contamination. Testing of private wells is voluntary in Iowa, but funding is available to help cover the cost of some private well tests.

Republicans who control the Statehouse are generally opposed to regulating farming practices. So the notion that lawmakers will require farmers to follow Iowa State University guidelines for fertilizer application or take any other actions to blunt potential health risks is highly unlikely.

Butt there are options the state can take.

As Jordan reported, the state could require the reporting of more information on the extent of farm chemical and fertilizer use in Iowa. Iowa could finally implement penalties for applicators who cause pesticide drift, which is part of a 2021 law that has yet to be implemented.

Iowa could set a lower standard for nitrate pollution in drinking water and provide water filters for Iowans with high nitrate levels in private wells. Or Iowa could follow Minnesota’s lead and slap a tax on fertilized with proceeds funding county-level health departments.

We support all of these ideas. And we believe the Legislature and governor have been derelict in their duty to address such a compelling public health situation. Iowans are getting sick at an alarming rate and their government leaders have yet to show they care. There still is time during the 2024 session.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com