Making Sense of Cancer and Your Water
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
With Iowa cancer rates second in the nation and growing, cancer is at the top of the list of issues for rural Iowans who have cancer or are dealing with cancer. This makes perfect sense to me. Iowa water quality, or lack thereof, is top of the list of issues for Iowans who aren’t yet dealing with cancer. This also makes sense.
Iowans are now seeing the correlation between cancer and exposure to contaminants in our water. How many family members, friends, neighbors and acquaintances have you known and said, or heard said, that he or she didn’t smoke, was fit enough, and yet they have or had cancer? Fortunately, as
cancer becomes more treatable, Iowans with cancer are living longer. Unfortunately, many more Iowans will likely have cancer before we get the water issues corrected. Iowans know it is not just contaminants in our water that cause cancer and other disorders and diseases. It is also lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, and smoking. They are telling me, however, they recognize our water is a factor and they want to know who is doing something about it. This makes sense to me.
I have attended water quality meetings, town halls, gatherings and rallies. I have met with water defenders, farm unions, water advocates and individual crusaders, as well as other well-meaning and knowledgeable individuals and organizations. All have been sensible, level-headed, science based and community focused. They recognize that Iowa’s water has been impaired by nitrates and coliform bacteria and many waterways are now impacted beyond sensible use for humans. They want to do something about it. This also makes good sense.
In a recent article by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, he mentions farms and farmers fifteen or more times. Secretary Naig does not mention Farm Bureau, or Farm Service Coop or huge corporate, absentee farm operators like Summit Agriculture. None of these organizations have been present at grassroots meetings of the concerned people of Iowa. Absent too are executives of rural or city water suppliers, and my elected state representatives. Last December, I corresponded with my state representative via email and expressed my concern about water quality and our growing Iowa cancer crisis. He replied and provided information about lung cancer and smoking, radon, and age and obesity as risk factors. He did not mention water quality. Perhaps water quality has risen to the top of his concerns, as it has with his constituents. I’ll have to check in with him again.
So, how can we get members of all these organizations together to focus on cleaning up and keeping clean the water that all Iowans depend on? Many Iowans I’ve talked to have said “we can’t.” That our interests are too different. That farmers in general aren’t interested in coming to the table and being blamed and criticized for implementing what they have learned as best practices. That Farm Bureau has a huge lobby that will protect the status quo. That FSC will continue to do what they do with the interest of farmers in mind, even if they know it is causing damage to our water and to Iowans. That yield and dollars per bushel beat Lake of Three Fires and Prairie Rose Lake every time. This does not make sense to me.
We are all Iowans. Some of you have farmed this land for generations and hope to have your family continue for generations to come. I hope they can. Some, like me, have lived in Iowa for thirty years and hope to get ten or twenty more good, cancer free, years. Let’s get the real difference makers and power brokers to the table and begin the discussion about how to change course in the middle of Iowa’s failing streams, demise of our rivers, and closure or impairment of our beaches and lakes.
My farming friends and water conservationists, as well as many other Iowans are ready to work to make sense of Iowa’s water issues. They invite you to join. I can’t wait to hear from you elected representatives, Farm Bureau, FSC, DNR and water suppliers.
I’ll await your call.
Bill Owen (712) 571-8544
Candidate, House D11