Iowa, Farming and Cancer: What Do We Really Know?

Iowa has a cancer problem. We are one of the only states in the nation with a growing cancer rate, and have higher levels of certain kinds of cancers than do similar areas of the country.

Many have put the blame on Iowa’s fields, while others say that legal pesticides are safe for us and the environment.

In this episode we go down the rabbit hole to understand—how do chemicals become products on our shelves? Is a legal chemical safe? And what do researchers know about the relationship between chemicals and cancer?

Thanks for listening to At the Iowa Farm Table. Please subscribe to receive our podcasts right to your inbox

Voices

Audrey Tran Lam—Environmental Health Program Director, Center for Energy & Environmental Education, University of Northern Iowa

David Cwiertny—Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director, Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination, University of Iowa

Seth Watkins—Pinhook Farm

Weary Ramblers— Kathryn Severing Fox and Chad Elliott

Resources

Higher cancer rates in counties with more CAFOs, study finds

U.S. chemical management system must be transformed to prevent harm, argue new policy papers