The real suspect? Agricultural chemicals. Iowa is the nation’s top user of fertilizers and pesticides, with 237 million pounds of weed killers sprayed annually like it’s a state sport and and 11.6 billion pounds of fertilizer used every year.

Chris Jones, a retired chemist, is frustrated and says that everyone knows what they should be doing, referring to regulating agricultural pollution. But in a state where farming is king, nobody wants to upset the apple cart – or in this case, the cornfield.

With 153,000 farmers working the land and pulling in $783 million in revenue, farming is big business in Iowa. But mention regulating those chemicals, and it’s like bringing up Aunt Edna’s secret casserole recipe – everyone’s got it, but nobody wants to talk about what’s really in it.

Neil Hamilton, a former AG law center director, finds the lack of curiosity among farmers and companies puzzling. “They maybe are concerned about what might be found if we started scratching a little bit deeper,” he says. Gee, ya think?

While state officials continue to downplay the agricultural angle, evidence keeps piling up like corn in a silo. A National Cancer Institute study found links between pesticides like atrazine and cancers such as Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But of course, the AG lobby says it’s all coincidence. Nothing to see here, folks – except your doctor, maybe.

It’s not just pesticides that Iowans need to worry about either. Nitrates from fertilizers are leaching into Iowa’s water like they’re invited guests, creating cancer risks for everyone – especially if you enjoy your water nitrate-free.

The EPA claims its guidelines keep us safe, but when Iowa’s water regularly tests at nitrate levels two to three times the acceptable limits, you start to wonder whose safety they’re actually ensuring.