Iowa’s Battle Against Cancer: A Push for Public Health Initiatives

Most of what we don’t know about cancer is much more important than what we do know. However, Iowa has the second-highest rate of new cancers than any other state.

The high rates of breast, prostate, lung, and skin cancer are said to be the most interesting parts of the statistics. But knowing what’s happening is not the same as knowing why it’s happening or what can be done to change the trends for the better.

Responses from doctors and other scientists that the Cedar Rapids Gazette talked to for some stories this spring showed this: They pointed out patterns in the data related to demographics or geography, but they were careful to separate those facts from their well-thought-out but unproven theories.

People in Iowa shouldn’t just shrug their shoulders when things are this scary. People, doctors, and lawmakers can all do something to improve health, even if they don’t know how their actions will directly impact cancer.

The Cancer Moonshot was started by Joe Biden 2016, who was Vice President at the time. This was after his older son Beau died of brain cancer at age 46 in 2015. The moonshot is a rallying cry for the whole country “to end cancer as we know it.”

Iowa needs its rocket to fight cancer. To fight this evil, people will have to change the way they think and commit to supporting public health and controlling threats in many more ways. That means that the state government will have to spend money on things like good eating, protecting the environment, and health screenings, even though scientists are still trying to figure out how these things connect to cancer.

The Report is Mostly About Alcohol; Experts Question How Farms Work

This year’s yearly state report on cancer focused on the problems that come with drinking too much. That focus makes sense; talking about the link between drinking and cancer gives people in Iowa a say in what risks they want to take with their lives.

There are, however, some much less organized ideas about what causes cancer. Few experts believe that the way we farm is the main cause because it uses a lot of chemicals, some of which get on food and some of which end up in drinking water. Given how big Iowa’s farming industry is and the state’s lack of interest in controlling farming, this idea makes some sense. But no matter what other problems supporters of agriculture may say, they can’t show proof that there is a straight link between using pesticides and getting cancer. Even people who have smoked a lot their whole lives and have been diagnosed with lung cancer can’t be sure that their habit caused it.

The Government Shouldn’t Even Put Up Hurdles

As a state, we should try to do better than being one of the worst places in the country for cancer. That way won’t be easy, and most of the progress won’t come from the government. What then should the state government do? The Iowa Legislature could at least not make it harder to learn more about cancer. Also, it could set aside time and money to support an environment and habits that are good for health. In either case, the 2024 session has not been a good one.

A few bills that deal with cancer still look like they have a good chance of becoming law. Iowans could get better insurance coverage for biomarker tests that can help with cancer treatment and for mammograms that are ordered to look into a certain worry. However several other ideas from both parties did not move forward.

Then there are the new attempts to protect companies that make pesticides from being sued. Bayer, the company that makes the well-known Roundup spray, could get special treatment as long as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted the labels and said the products were safe. In some places, the chemical glyphosate has been called a carcinogen. A few months ago, it looked like bills to protect big agriculture companies were dead, but in the last few weeks, congressional leaders have brought them back to life.

People in Iowa who have cancer and families who have lost a loved one find it offensive that this idea is even being talked about. They don’t need to deal with any more problems in the court system. It also backs up claims from the industry that lawsuits with no basis threaten the goods or the very existence of the big ag companies.

There Are More Things That Policymakers Can Do to Improve Public Health

Other governments and the Legislature could do a better job of helping people do things they might not be able to do on their own:

Give them money to buy water filters. Instead of skipping meetings because they are too expensive, help them get screened so that diseases can be caught earlier. Knowing that being overweight raises the risk of getting cancer, back programs that help low-income people get healthy food.

Try to stop people from drinking and smoking too much. Making radon gas mitigation equipment more cheap is especially important in Iowa, where the state’s geology makes cancer-causing radon gas a bigger problem than it should be. Spend money on better water. Use punishment to stop pollution. Talk to kids about HPV. Help state universities do the study that will help us learn more about what causes cancer and how to treat it.

All of those things and a thousand more can help change the way health is going. The Biden administration did the same thing when they announced rules on Wednesday that limit “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The work is worth it, even though cleaner water will cost a lot and studies have linked the chemicals to several cancers and other health problems, it is still not clear what the official link is.

Little by little, Iowa’s chances of lowering cancer rates will get better. You should pay attention to the way.