Iowa has ranked second in the nation for cancer rates three years in a row. Researchers are pointing to pollutants in the water as one culprit and a local group is taking action — starting with testing.
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Iowa’s cancer crisis: Local group fights back with water testing
Cass County has some of the highest cancer rates in Iowa — a state that ranks second in the nation for cancer rates, according to the 2026 annual report from the Iowa Cancer Registry.
A southwest Iowa group, Nishnabotna Water Defenders, is working to educate neighbors and push for policy changes to address some of the environmental factors linked to cancer…