Update: Dyersville residents seek more answers on Iowa's cancer rates after Monday presentations

REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN) - Dubuque County residents gathered Monday at the James Kennedy Public Library in Dyersville for a presentation on environmental risk factors and Iowa's cancer crisis, asking for more research and discussion about what could be putting Iowans at risk. The presentation, "Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa's Cancer Crisis," examined research on pesticides, nitrate, PFAS and radon and their associations with cancer. For Kay Vifian, a Dubuque County resident whose husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer more than a year ago, the questions are personal. "There needs to be a lot more investigation and discussion about what we can do about it," Vifian said. Colleen Fowle, with the Iowa Environmental Council, discussed how nitrate can contribute to the formation of cancer-causing compounds in the body. "It's really important to note that nitrate itself doesn't cause cancer, it's when it breaks down into our bodies and forms other cancer-causing agents," Fowle said. Fowle said reaching rural communities is a priority, noting that Iowans face an outsized risk in rural areas. A separate American Cancer Society study released Monday found Iowa has the nation's second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses and is one of three states with rising incidence rates. Researchers found Iowa's overall cancer incidence increased by 0.6 percent annually among men from 2013 to 2022 and among women from 2005 to 2022, while rates in seven surrounding states combined remained stable. The increases were driven largely by prostate and breast cancers diagnosed at earlier stages, and researchers said the findings, alongside declining cancer death rates, were most consistent with increased detection through screening. The study did not examine environmental exposures because researchers lacked individual-level data, and its authors called for closer study of agricultural exposures and radon. For Dubuque County resident Art Roche, the issue demands more public attention. "We'd like to be number one in other things like food production and health care and other things, but not in this," Roche said. "This is something we should be marching in the streets." Participants encouraged residents to learn about potential risks, speak with local decision-makers and support further research. A second presentation on the same report was held Monday evening at the University of Dubuque.