People living near concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in California, Texas and Iowa suffer from higher rates of cancer, suggesting that the air and water pollution from the massive farms may be playing a role, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, comes just weeks after a years-long […]
public health
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‘It’s clear we need to change’: Report identifies four environmental factors raising cancer risk in Iowa
“Cancer is not an abstract problem in Iowa,” oncologist Richard Deming told the people gathered in the Harkin Institute’s auditorium. “It’s not rare, it’s not declining and it’s not evenly distributed. Cancer affects everybody, but it doesn’t affect everybody equally.” Eighty percent of the 25 counties with highest cancer rates in Iowa are rural, according […]
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‘We know enough’: Researchers call for Iowa ag regulations to protect public health
Researchers and public health advocates said Wednesday that water quality and land use continue to be modifiable elements impacting public health, and in particular cancer, in Iowa. The experts spoke to a crowded conference room in the Olmsted Center at Drake University during the 2025 Iowa Nature Summit that touched on policies, practices and programs […]
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With City Park Pool closed for the summer, it’ll take some creativity to stay cool in Iowa City
Fashion photos by Karla Monroe, featuring Natalie Lawrence and Lexi Wells at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center pool in Iowa City. The last time Iowa Citians didn’t have an outdoor public pool for the summer, Harry Truman was president. The pool that served Iowa City swimmers and poolside-loungers since 1949 closed for the […]
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Iowa City doctors launch COVID-19 safety program for businesses nationwide
A winking yellow smiley face, complete with mask, grins from the front window of Iowa City downtown anchor store Active Endeavors. Inside, customers find a skeleton crew of masked employees who, after completing a daily health-related self-certification, spend the day waiting on customers, meticulously wiping down frequently touched surfaces, steaming clothing from the dressing rooms […]
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Johnson County and 35 other Iowa counties are suing opioid manufacturers
Johnson County, along with 35 other Iowa counties, is suing five major manufacturers of prescription opioids for what the counties claim are deceptive marketing and sales practices that fueled the current opioid crisis.. “The crisis was precipitated by Defendants who, through nefarious and deceptive means and using one of the biggest pharmaceutical marketing campaigns in history, carefully engineered and continue to support a dramatic shift in the culture of prescribing opioids by falsely portraying both the risks of addiction and abuse and the safety and benefits of long-term use,” according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Des Moines on Jan. 5.
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First survey of the health of Iowa’s LGBTQ community has begun
A first of its kind health survey of Iowa’s LGBTQ community is now underway. The Iowa Cancer Consortium, in partnership with One Iowa, the University of Iowa College of Public Health and Des Moines University, is sponsoring the survey. “Basically we saw the need for more data,” Levi Lappin of the Iowa Cancer Consortium explained. “There’s not much health data for the LGBTQ community at the state-level.” But that’s not an issue unique to Iowa, he said.
