Cancer is striking young adults across the Midwest at a growing rate, according to The Washington Post, alarming researchers and fueling questions about whether farm chemicals and water pollution are contributing to the trend.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tied rising chronic diseases to environmental exposure and diet through his "Make America Healthy Again" campaign, a message now echoing in Iowa.
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, this year launched a $1 million research initiative to probe what's driving her state's cancer surge.
The effort comes as pesticide maker Bayer, whose glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide is widely used, faces mounting lawsuits and legislative pushback after claims the product causes cancer.
The Post analysis found that since 2015, the six major corn-producing states, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kansas, have recorded cancer rates among people ages 15 to 49 that are 5% higher than the national average.
In the late 1990s, their rates matched the rest of the country. Iowa now ranks fifth in cancer incidence for adults under 50.
Scientists say the cause is complex.
Some point to long-term exposure to fertilizers, herbicides, and nitrates in groundwater, as well as natural radon in the soil. Others cite changing lifestyles, obesity, and better screening.
Hans-Joachim Lehmler of the University of Iowa's Environmental Health Sciences Research Center described the state as a "hotspot for environmental exposures to cancer-causing agents."
Studies have linked farm chemicals to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, and prostate cancer. A 2024 analysis in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society found the impact of pesticide use on cancer incidence "may rival that of smoking."
The Environmental Protection Agency still maintains glyphosate is "not likely to be carcinogenic," though it plans another review in 2026.
Doctors and lawmakers are pressing for answers as diagnoses climb among people once considered too young for serious illness.
Researchers warn that the risks may trace back decades to exposures in childhood or even before birth.
For many in the Corn Belt, the question remains whether the same land that built their livelihoods is quietly threatening their health.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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