Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in IA

Project Description

The Iowa Environmental Council and The Harkin Institute announced the launch of a new initiative that explores the relationship between environmental risk factors and cancer rates in Iowa.

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rates in the nation, and it is among only two states where cancer rates are increasing, not decreasing. An estimated 21,200 new invasive cancers will be diagnosed among Iowans in 2025, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry’s annual “Cancer in Iowa” report.

While some risk factors for cancers are well known and studied, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and ultraviolet radiation from the sun or tanning beds, other potential causes are less understood.

The initiative combines a rigorous review of existing academic research about environmental risk factors and their sources with a campaign to listen to, understand, and amplify Iowans’ own lived experiences with cancer.