Eighty-three environmental groups have signed a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and Environmental Protection Agency demanding action on "critically high" nitrate levels in Iowa drinking water.
Chemical makers say nitrate levels only spike seasonally. New research from the Iowa Environmental Council shows that high nitrate levels are causing a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, 1,000 miles downstream of the Mississippi River. Marine life struggles to survive in those waters.
Food and Water Watch senior staff attorney Tyler Lobdell said the letter also highlights health risks for Iowans, "underscoring and highlighting this emergency, so underscoring the association of increased cancer prevalence in Iowa with the nitrate contamination crisis."
Large-scale ag operators have said they are within federal limits for the chemicals they use, and have claimed they're constantly looking for ways to become more environmentally friendly while keeping up with growing demand.
Lobdell and other health advocates have said Iowa's growing cancer rates – second in the nation for new cases – can be attributed to nitrates in the state's ground and drinking water. They want federal officials to hold chemical companies accountable.
"This problem should not fall on the taxpayer. This problem should not fall on your average mom and pop who are just looking to give healthy water to their family," he said. "So we are calling on the agencies to put the blame where it lies, and that is with the polluters."
A recent Environmental Working Group report finds that increased nitrate levels are present in 20% of the nation's drinking water.