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Iowa News You Can Use

iowa cancer rates
Sep 2025 5

WATCH: Politics and big money make Iowa sicker (w/ Dr. Andrew Nish) – Cornhole Champions Interview

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and Dr. Andrew Nish has a blunt explanation: "Politics and big money." After 34 years treating cancer patients in Iowa, the medical director of John Stoddard Cancer Center connects our climbing cancer rates to everything from agricultural practices and contaminated water to our drinking culture and lack of green spaces.

In this episode of Cornhole Champions, Dr. Nish explains the "exposome" - all the environmental factors we're exposed to over a lifetime that influence cancer risk. From ultra-processed foods disrupting our microbiome to nitrates in our water system, he argues that Iowa's health crisis stems from the same forces shaping our economy.

Toss some bags about why politics and big money block solutions to Iowa's cancer crisis and and what one doctor thinks we need to change to save lives.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. It’s produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

SHOW RUNDOWN:
02:00 - Doctor blames "politics and big money" for blocking cancer prevention
06:00 - Iowa's shocking cancer statistics: 2nd highest in nation, only getting worse
18:30 - Iowa's binge drinking problem affects highest earners most
22:30 - Why sitting is literally deadly and increases cancer risk
29:30 - Sleep study: 2 fewer hours drops immune cells by 40%
33:30 - Nitrates in Iowa water: "It's not pretty" says cancer expert
40:00 - Why Iowa has world's largest nitrate removal facility
43:00 - Shocking comparison: Iowa's hog waste equals 83 million people

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iowa cancer rates - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 22

WATCH: What can you do about cancer (w/ Dr. Richard Deming) – Cornhole Champions Interview

By | POLITICS VIDEO, CANCER IN IOWA, Iowa Production Staff

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in America, and Dr. Richard Deming has been fighting this crisis for four decades. In this powerful conversation, Iowa's leading oncologist reveals what you can actually do about it.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, we explore the mortality wake-up call that cancer brings and the simple---though not easy---steps that could save thousands of lives.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 Iowa's Cancer Crisis: Why We're Second in America
05:30 The Mortality Wake-Up Call: Cancer Changes Everything
12:00 From Navy Diver to Cancer Fighter: An Unlikely Journey
20:00 Why Screening Saves Lives (But Can Also Harm)
28:00 Iowa's Two Big Problems: Radon and Farm Chemicals
34:00 The 45% Solution: What We Already Know Works
36:30 Why Smoking Is Still Cancer's Biggest Killer
42:00 Healthcare Access: The Hidden Cancer Crisis

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iowa cancer rates - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 8

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

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

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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iowa cancer rates - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 6

WATCH: 🌽 53 million pounds of pesticides: Iowa’s cancer crisis (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #34

By | POLITICS VIDEO, CANCER IN IOWA, Iowa Production Staff

53 million pounds. That's how much pesticide gets sprayed across Iowa every year—more than any other state in the country. With Iowa having the second-highest and fastest-growing cancer rates in America, the science is connecting some uncomfortable dots between what's in our fields and what's happening to our neighbors.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith breaks down his investigative reporting on Iowa's massive pesticide problem. From the Agricultural Health Study tracking 89,000 farming families since 1993 to the "gray zone" between cutting-edge science and outdated regulations, we explore why 17 pounds of pesticides are applied for every single Iowan.

This reporting is part of Iowa Starting Line's investigative series "The Hotspot"—sign up for the newsletter to get these deep dives straight to your inbox. https://iowastartingline.com/cancer-in-iowa/

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
01:30 - Iowa's Cancer Crisis: Second Highest Rates in America
02:30 - 17 Pounds of Pesticides Applied Per Iowa Resident
04:30 - Agricultural Health Study: 89,000 Families Since 1993
06:30 - The "Cancer Gag Act" vs. EPA Approval Controversy
07:30 - The "Gray Zone" Between Science and Policy
10:30 - Company-Funded Studies vs. Independent Research
12:30 - Don Carpenter's Story: Real People, Real Impact

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iowa cancer rates - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 1

WATCH: What 50 years of Iowa cancer data actually shows (w/ Mary Charlton) – Cornhole Champions Interview

By | POLITICS VIDEO, CANCER IN IOWA, Iowa Production Staff

Dr. Mary Charlton directs the Iowa Cancer Registry, tracking cancer diagnoses across the state for over 50 years and helping researchers understand Iowa's stubbornly high cancer rates.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith talks with Charlton about what the data really shows, why simple explanations for complex problems fall short, and the challenge of doing long-term science in a world that wants quick answers.

Toss some bags at complicated truths... geographic patterns that don't fit neat theories... the politics of risk factors... why linking cancer to environmental causes takes decades... and the funding crisis threatening Iowa's public health infrastructure.

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.

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... and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
01:00 - What is the Iowa Cancer Registry and how it tracks 200+ variables on every cancer case
03:30 - How researchers use Iowa's cancer data (including 30,000 pesticide applicators study)
06:30 - Why different cancers cluster in different Iowa regions (melanoma north, lung cancer south)
08:30 - Public misconceptions about Iowa's cancer report and oversimplified explanations
10:30 - The alcohol controversy: Why featuring drinking as a risk factor sparked outrage
12:30 - Legislative failure: Why no cancer prevention bills passed in Iowa
15:00 - The "murkiness" problem: Why linking environmental factors to cancer takes decades
19:30 - Funding crisis threatens Iowa's 50-year cancer surveillance program

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iowa cancer rates - Iowa Starting Line
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