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 Dianne Chambers endured surgery chemotherapy and dozens of rounds of radiation to fight aggressive breast cancer and Janan Haugen spends greater part days helping care for her -year-old grandson who is still being treated for brain cancer he developed at the age of The three were among a group of about two dozen people who came together last week in Indianola Iowa to share their experiences with rising rates of cancer plaguing the state The event in the town of about residents was the first of listening sessions scheduled around Iowa as part of a new research project aimed at probing prospective environmental causes for what certain call a cancer predicament As a key U S farm state Iowa has long been known for the leafy green stalks of corn that stretch seemingly endlessly across the horizon With nearly farms the state ranks first not only for corn production but also for pork and egg production and is within the top five states for growing soybeans and raising cattle But the state holds a darker more ominous ranking as well For the last sparse years Iowa has had the second-highest rate of cancer in the nation and is only one of two U S states where cancer is increasing Leukemia as well as cancers of the pancreas breast stomach kidney thyroid and uterus are among the different cancer types on the rise across the state according to the National Cancer Institute Related Cancer in Iowa What role does agriculture play in Iowa s high cancer rates People in rural communities are getting sick Cancer is just everywhere explained Kerri Johannsen senior director of initiative at the Iowa Environmental Council IEC Johannsen grew up on a family farm in the northeast part of the state where her brother and parents grow corn and soybeans and raise cattle Every person I talk to knows somebody that has in recent times had a cancer identification she declared It s just a constant drumbeat It s scary The high cancer rates are the driver behind a new initiative to survey the relationship between environmental danger factors and cancer rates led by the IEC and the Harkin Institute at Drake University Among the initiative s key suspected culprits are the chemicals that flow from Iowa s vast expanse of farmland Honing in on agriculture Kentucky the only state with a higher cancer incidence than Iowa historically has also ranked first in adult smoking which is considered as having a major role in the state s high cancer rates In Iowa the search for a cause has been less clear Last year a state summary cited alcohol consumption as a key factor Higher-than-average levels of radon a naturally occurring colorless gas known to cause cancer are also a concern But a great number of blame the insecticides herbicides and other pesticides widely used on farms as well as the state s persistent trouble with high levels of hazardous nitrates that wash off farm fields into the state s water supply Of Iowa s million acres of total land roughly million is devoted to farming A multitude of of the pesticides routinely used are linked to a range of diseases including the popular herbicide glyphosate which is classified a probable human carcinogen by cancer experts at the World Vitality Organization Nitrates are also tied to cancer particularly when consumed in drinking water or other dietary sources Agricultural fertilizers and manure from large-scale livestock operations are key sources for nitrates which are known to contaminate surface water and groundwater In addition to looking at pesticides and nitrates the research will also look at cancer links to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFAS PFAS are pervasive globally and one emerging concern has been PFAS contamination of sewage sludge spread on farm fields as fertilizer Earlier this year the Environmental Protection Agency EPA warned of elevated cancer risks related to such contaminated farm fertilizer The work will also include a deeper look at the state s high levels of radon as a key cancer cause announced Elise Pohl former district fitness consultant for the Iowa Department of Strength who is the lead researcher for the project We really want to find out why these cancers are increasing Pohl explained We re honing in on the agriculture side of things Elephant in the room The focus on agriculture is controversial according to Adam Shriver director of wellness and nutrition at the Harkin Institute who is helping lead the initiative Agriculture contributes an estimated billion to the state s economic system roughly one-third of Iowa s total economic output according to the Iowa Farm Bureau And the industry influence is potent according to Shriver There is a lot of pressure from state leaders as well as within research circles not to point fingers at agriculture But increasingly residents are expressing fear that the industry providing Iowa s economic lifeblood may also be killing them he disclosed In the greater part people s minds you escape to the country for healthy clean living and yet the elephant in the room is that we ve been practicing industrial agriculture and we ve had a executive that has been subservient to big agriculture and they ve been allowed to do whatever they want Shriver declared Iowa Farmers Union framework director Tommy Hexter mentioned countless farmers are worried about the wellness impacts of their use of pesticides but are reluctant to be too vocal We have a lot of folks who are conventional farmers who are concerned about this explained Hexter They re worried about cancer in their families But they don t want to be outspoken about an industry that supplies them essential tools Several farm organizations were urged for their views on the new scrutiny and fears of ties between agriculture and cancer but only one the Iowa Corn Growers Association responded We re interested in looking at all anticipated causes of cancer noted Rodney Williamson the association s vice president of research and sustainability He cited smoking radon obesity tanning beds and alcohol as additional prospective causes to consider We should be looking at all of those He explained when it comes to pesticides the association urges farmers to follow the recommendations of the EPA which does an extensive review of pesticides for prospective carcinogenicity and to ensure that they apply pesticides appropriately Wondering and worrying At last week s listening session in Indianola the moderator urged attendees to raise their hands if they had experienced cancer personally or through someone close to them Everyone raised a hand In sharing his story with the group Hammer now stated his identification of colon cancer stunned him He had been a healthy long-distance runner with no genetic markers for the affection After extensive surgery the cancer now appears cured he revealed He wonders if the cancer may be tied to his childhood attendance at schools surrounded by corn fields Haugen whose grandson suffers from brain cancer attended the session with her husband She helps the boy s mother and other relatives travel him to and from treatments that so far have included multiple brain surgeries and extensive chemotherapy She revealed the sickness that has nearly killed the boy seems far too common for their small town There are several kids here that have cancer Haugen disclosed Chambers who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of lives about miles south of Indianola where she and her husband farm roughly acres She disclosed plenty of others in her area have also suffered from cancers and though she does not know what caused her illness which is now at bay she stays far from farm chemicals Do I think it s chemicals Do I worry about the water she questioned rhetorically I do Funded with donations from individuals and foundations the research band plans to produce a description based on a broad review of years of published scientific studies as well as the anecdotal information gleaned in the listening sessions The researchers hope to release chosen initial findings later this year Dr Richard Deming a cancer physician in Iowa for years declared he donated personal funds to the project because he feels more independent research is needed to inform policies that can help cut the cancer rates It s not trying to throw any industry under the bus he reported But lots of people now are scratching their heads and wondering what can we do to further determine the incidences and then how do we mitigate As a cancer clinician taking care of patients I have the opportunity one recipient at a time to try to help But if you can prevent cancers you can genuinely make a bigger difference than treating each cancer that comes into your office The post Seeking answers to a cancer situation in Iowa researchers question if agriculture is to blame appeared first on MinnPost