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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 impacting a variety of Iowa’s natural elements.

Panelists at a session titled, “Nature and Public Health: Cancer, Water Quality and More” agreed that there is enough research demonstrating the link between agricultural practices, like fertilizer and pesticide application, in Iowa and adverse public health outcomes.

“We know enough,” Audrey T

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