On Wednesday, the Harkin Institute and Iowa Environmental Council released a study that delves into the cancer crisis in the state and environmental risks.

The annual Cancer in Iowa Report released earlier this month stated that the state has the second highest rate of new cancers in the country, with 21,700 each year and 6,400 deaths. While the earlier report focused on choices people make, such as diet, exercise and smoking, there was not a lot of focus on environmental cancer risks. The latest report addressed those risks.

Adam Shriver with the Harkin Institute and Kerri Johannsen, the senior director of policy and programs for the Iowa Environmental Council, held a press conference to let the public know of the release of the 89-page report and touch on the basics of it.

“This past year, hundreds of Iowans joined us for cancer listening sessions in 15 communities across the state,” Shriver said. “Almost all of the people we talked to have been touched by cancer and they told us, quite clearly, they had concerns of environmental risk factors connected to water and agricultural exposures. Our report confirms they were right to be concerned.”

Cancer is a multifactorial disease which is influenced by many different risk factors, such as genes, lifestyle and environment. He said the report focuses on four primary risk factors — PFAS chemicals, nitrate, radon and pesticides.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that in Marshall County, the five most prevalent cancers are prostate, breast, lung, colorectal and endometrial. The environmental report states one pesticide — atrazine — has a strong association with specific cancers such as breast, lung and aggressive prostate. Another pesticide, acetochlor, creates increased risk of colorectal and lung cancers.

Johannsen said the usage of these pesticides, along with glyphosate, in Iowa is an outlier.

“Pound for pound, the amount of glyphosate applied in Iowa is the highest of any pesticide applied in any state,” she said. “Acetochlor and atrazine have both been banned in the European Union. But Iowa’s use of acetochlor is the highest in the U.S., and 80 percent higher than any other state.”

Fortunately, the environmental report indicates that nitrate might not be a big risk in Marshall County, as there were few observed nitrate concentration levels in private water wells from 2000 to 2024.

The risk from radon in Marshall County is higher and is strongly associated with lung cancer.

“Iowans have been demanding answers for years, and are tired of being told to look the other way when they can see with their own eyes what is happening in their community,” Johannsen said. “In our listening sessions, Iowans told us how exhausting it feels to see the local Casey’s plastered with cancer benefits and obituaries week after week. They shared personal stories of young kids losing their moms and dads, and there were countless families whose finances were turned upside down because of a cancer diagnosis with a ripple effect across the community. This crisis is very hard to watch, but we must not look away. We do not need to accept early death as a natural part of life in Iowa.”

By releasing the report, Johannsen and Shriver said they hope it will serve as a catalyst for additional conversations, and will help inspire state lawmakers to make necessary changes.

REPORT

The full report can be downloaded online at iaenvironment.org/cancerproject.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.