Scientists at the University of Iowa have announced a research initiative designed to measure the health impacts of exposure to environmental toxins, including pesticides, heavy metals and air pollutants.
The INSIGHT initiative will focus in part on the relationship between environmental toxins and cancer. Iowa has the second-highest number of new cancer cases in the nation.
Some research has suggested cancer may be linked to manure runoff and air pollution from large-scale agricultural operations, but direct evidence has been lacking. University of Iowa Director of IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Larry Weber said the INSIGHT program is intended to help fill that gap.
“We're taking this from not just environmental monitoring but then connecting it to the epidemiological studies that say this type of exposure has led to this health effect,” Weber said.
The research comes as pesticide maker Bayer seeks immunity from cancer lawsuits at the federal level, arguing its Roundup product is not carcinogenic. The company says there is a lack of conclusive scientific evidence that Roundup causes cancer or other health defects.
The Iowa Legislature rejected a state-level immunity shield last year.
Iowa currently monitors waterways in real time for pollutants. Nitrates routinely leach into ground and surface water from large-scale agricultural operations around the state. Weber said the INSIGHT research will take statewide studies and testing further.
“We feel like we've got to also start testing for other things,” Weber said. “‘Forever chemicals,’ PFAS is one that's of great importance to public health, and so we want to make sure that we're making measurements of those contaminants, and communicating with the public that's impacted by them.”
Researchers will also study how environmental toxins interact with other health problems, with a special focus on maternal and newborn health, neurodevelopment and autism-related outcomes.