A mystery surge in cancer in Iowa has been blamed on alcohol – but locals fear another major factor is being ignored or suppressed.
DailyMail.com visited Iowa and spoke to doctors and locals who had cancer themselves or knew of dozens who had, but one common thread stood out – none of them were heavy drinkers.
And while a report published in early 2024 highlighted alcohol as a major health concern, locals are trying to raise awareness about another contributor: agricultural chemicals – of which Iowa uses more than any other state.
Chris Jones, a retired research engineer and chemist at the University of Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research, told DailyMail.com this ‘taboo subject’ makes it difficult to get people to talk – or do something – about it.
Mr Jones said: ‘People know what to do. We know what to do and that’s to regulate the pollution from agriculture, but it’s such a taboo subject that it’s hard to get anybody to talk, especially if they’re still working.’
He said the state needs to regulate the agricultural industry, providing guidelines for the types and amounts of fertilizers and pesticides used on crops, introducing a greater variety of crops, and adding funding back to programs that monitor water quality.
Neil Hamilton, a lawyer and the former Director of the Drake Agricultural Law Center, told DailyMail.com: ‘There seems to be a surprising lack of curiosity [from] the agricultural companies and agriculturalists and farm groups.
‘And, you know, maybe that’s predictable, because they maybe are concerned about what might be found if we started scratching a little bit deeper.’
The 2022 census revealed that the 30.5 million acres of farmland in Iowa employ an estimated 153,000 farmers, generating $783 million in revenue.
Iowa has the third-most farms in the nation, falling behind Texas and Missouri despite having half and one-tenth of those states’ populations, respectively.
The state uses 237 million pounds of weed killers and 11.6 billion pounds of fertilizer per year – more than any other state.
