Toxic levels of farm pollution in two Iowa rivers are threatening public health, and a suppressed scientific report finally confirms what officials long denied.
Carey Gillam reports for The New Lede.
In short:
- A new report finds the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers — drinking water sources for 600,000 Iowans — are heavily contaminated with nitrates, pesticides, and manure runoff, much of it from industrial agriculture.
- Iowa’s cancer rates are among the highest in the nation, and scientists are now connecting waterborne pollutants like nitrates, pesticides, and microcystins with rising cases of leukemia, kidney, and breast cancers.
- Despite clear recommendations to reduce chemical and livestock intensity, political loyalty to the ag industry may block action, even as nitrate levels exceed federal limits and officials restrict water use.
Key quote:
“Clean water should be a bipartisan issue. The solutions to address this problem are … within our grasp.”
— Matt McCoy, chair of the Polk County Board of Supervisors
Why this matters:
Unchecked agricultural pollution is fueling a cancer crisis in America’s heartland. As nitrate levels rise, so do risks for birth defects, reproductive harm, and chronic disease. When politics blocks science, public health pays the price.
Read more: As regenerative agriculture gains momentum, report warns of “greenwashing”
