Right: Nick has become a passionate Food & Water Watch volunteer. He spoke powerfully at the Cancer Gag Act rally we organized at the Iowa State Capitol in February of this year. Photo by Eris Hawkins. Left: Iowa has the fastest-growing rate of new cancers in the U.S. “It seems like people around here are dying younger and younger all the time,” Nick said. Nick and his mom, Pam, hold a picture of Tammy, Nick's sister who passed away at age 56. Photo by Julie Russell-Steuart.
> Factory Farm Pollution - continued from Page 2
Factory farm pollution hurts lives Nick has 17 family members who have suffered from cancer over the past few decades. Three of his four siblings have been diagnosed, and he has found benign cysts all over his body. He isn’t surprised that Iowa has the fastest-grow- ing rate of new cancer cases and is second in cancer incidence overall in the U.S. “I can’t believe Iowa’s not number one,” he said, “with the gallons and gallons of chemicals and herbicides I see going up and down the road every day.” There are clear links between agricultural pollution and cancer. Many pesticides may disrupt thyroid function, contributing to the risk of thyroid cancer. Nitrates are linked to thyroid problems, too, along with fatal “blue baby syndrome” and increased risk for certain cancers such as colon, kidney, and ovarian cancer.
Iowa has become a sacrifice zone for industrial agriculture, but reversing course is possible. How you’re taking on factory farms Thanks to you, Food & Water Watch is on the ground, fighting alongside people like Nick to protect communities from factory farm pollution. Your generosity is bringing together people to press elected leaders to: • Pass the Clean Water for Iowa Act. We need a mandatory approach to keeping factory farm waste out of our water. • Pass a factory farm moratorium. We need to stop the expansion and building of factory farms. • Stop Big Ag power grabs. We need to make sure manufacturers of dangerous pesticides and chemicals are held accountable.
Because of you, Jennifer and Michaelyn can protect people from toxic chemicals ON THE GROUND
This dangerous bill would shield pesticide companies from health-related lawsuits and strip people of their rights to hold corporations accountable for the harms their products cause. Powered by you, Jennifer and Michaelyn mobilized a broad coalition of Iowans to send a strong message to elected leaders: put the health of our communities above corporate profits!
When Food & Water Watch learned that Bayer, the maker of
Roundup, was pushing a pesticide immunity bill in Iowa, what we call the Cancer Gag Act, Orga- nizers Jennifer Breon and Michaelyn Mankel knew they needed to act.
Jennifer Breon
Michaelyn Mankel
3 | SUMMER 2025
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease