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WATCH: When science moves faster than policy (w/ David Cwiertny) – Cornhole Champions Interview

By Iowa Production Staff

August 8, 2025

Sometimes the science moves faster than public policy. And it has real impacts on your health.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Orne Smith explores this gap with Dr. David Cwiertny, an environmental engineer at the University of Iowa.

Toss some bags at the science-policy gap… why we find chemicals everywhere we look… and what mass balance means for Iowa’s future.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
0:00 – Welcome: Iowa’s cancer rates and chemical safety evolution
2:30 – Mass Balance Principle: Why chemicals never really disappear
5:00 – Neonicotinoids: The pesticides painted on seeds
8:00 – Atrazine Study Reversal: Same research, opposite conclusions
11:30 – The Science-Policy Gap: 20-year lag between discovery and action
14:00 – Why Simple Answers Don’t Exist for Complex Problems
16:30 – Living in the “Gray Area” of Chemical Safety
18:30 – Alternative Agriculture: Different models, same profitability

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CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO
POLITICS VIDEO
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Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by Zachary Oren Smith and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 – Iowa’s Staggering Pesticide Problem: 53 Million Pounds Annually
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… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

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WATCH: 🌽 Iowa lost $17.6 BILLION to brain drain (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #34

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Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by Zachary Oren Smith and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
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*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
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