~by Mary Weaver
According to a February statement from the University of Iowa, Iowa Cancer Registry, “There is no one cause for cancer; rather it is the complex interplay of different genetic, behavioral, environmental, and structural factors that alter the way cells function and produce cancer.”
In an alarming trend, Iowa continues to have the second highest and fastest growing rate of new cancers in the U.S.
I was surprised to learn last month that consumption of alcohol in volume and frequency makes Iowa the highest rated state in the Midwest and fourth highest in the country for alcohol related cancers.
Alcohol is a known carcinogen. Alcohol is a risk factor for several cancers, including oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, and female breast cancers.
The Iowa Cancer Registry, a part of the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health, projects county cancer data. Greene County will have 70 new cancers identified in 2024, 25 cancer related deaths will occur, and Greene County will have 625 persons living with a cancer diagnosis.
Southern Illinois University of Carbondale reports in preliminary studies that farmers and agricultural workers have a higher rate of cancer than other work groups. Farmers today use many products that protect crops and ensure a good yield. Pesticides and fertilizers are recognized as containing compounds that have been linked to cancer in humans.
Greene County farmers, it is important to familiarize yourself with the type of chemicals you are using, including how to safely transport, handle, store and discard them. Know the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) you should wear while using these chemicals, including respirators, goggles, and gloves. Never eat or drink near these chemicals and always wash your hands thoroughly after touching or handling them.
Given this agricultural cancer concern for Iowa, I was surprised and disappointed to learn that Senate File 2392, that was once rejected, was rewritten as Senate Study Bill 3188. This study bill was released by the Agriculture subcommittee on a 3-1 vote and sent to the full Senate Agriculture committee where it was reassigned to Appropriations. This bill, supported by Bayer, manufacturer of Round Up, protects chemical manufacturers from lawsuits over failure to warn consumers about potential adverse health effects.
The Iowa Capitol Dispatch reported Senator Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, criticized Republican lawmakers for bringing back the measure, pointing to the support of large agribusinesses for the measure. Bayer, as well as agriculture organizations like the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa Corn Growers Association, were registered in support of the bill.
Under the bill, pesticide manufacturers could not be held liable for failing to warn consumers about adverse health effects in a way that exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency labeling requirements. Strangely, the bill stipulates that the immunity would not apply to Chinese state-owned companies, singling out the massive agriculture and chemical company Syngenta.
An article printed by the Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 18, quotes Alicia Vasto, the water program director for the Iowa Environmental Council, “Enactment of this bill would prevent Iowa farmers and rural residents from seeking justice in the future. Time and time again, research has uncovered the dangers of pesticide after the EPA has declared a product safe for use.”
Sen. Mark Costello, R-Imogene, member of the Agriculture committee, who is a farmer, said he’s concerned that if Bayer receives too many punitive court rulings related to RoundUp, farmers could lose access to the product. Costello said consumers could still sue the company over specific harms, just not over a duty to warn.
The legislation is supported by Bayer, the manufacturer of RoundUp, a pesticide that is linked with the development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2020, Bayer agreed to pay $10 billion to settle cancer lawsuits.
“There’s no regulatory body in the entire world who finds this carcinogenic,” Epperly (the Bayer lobbyist) said, speaking of RoundUp, a glyphosate-based herbicide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that it is “not likely” glyphosate is carcinogenic, but in 2022, a U.S. appeals court ordered the agency to reconsider those findings.
Readers who want to contact Sen Jesse Green, who represents Boone, Greene, and parts of Story and Dallas County, about the bill can call the Senate switchboard at 515-281-3116.
The VIEW FROM MY WINDOW is that lobbying groups are heavily influencing the future of the health and liability for Greene County and other State of Iowa agricultural workers.
Mary Weaver writes from her farm home near rural Rippey, where she lives with her farmer husband and near her son who is engaged in farming.
