Eliza Billingham
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Iowa Public Radio
Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces Democrat Christina Bohannan for the third time in a race for eastern Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. They both recently discussed Iowa's high cancer rates and different ideas about how to address it.
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Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation and young people — ages 15-49 — are not being spared. The six leading corn-producing states have a cancer rate for young adults that is about 5% higher than the rest of the nation. Host Charity Nebbe speaks with director of the Iowa Cancer Registry Mary Charlton and two young cancer survivors. (This show was originally produced November 24, 2025.) -
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand participated in a roundtable Tuesday, where he answered questions about Iowans' concerns about cancer. -
Water quality has become a bigger part of the public conversation in Iowa as the Des Moines metro and smaller communities around the state grapple with high nitrate levels. Many homeowners are concerned about their health and are looking into reverse osmosis to filter out these contaminants.
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Radon gas is naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, and the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Nearly three-quarters of Iowa homes have tested high, and yet most Iowans have never tested their home, and many have never heard of radon. Joined by Maria Steele, retired nurse practitioner and lung cancer survivor, Dr. Richard Deming, medical director at MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center, and Juliann Van Liew, Polk County Health Department Director, we look at the radon problem in Iowa. We talk about what it is, why it's so pronounced in the state, what's being done about it, and how to limit exposure. -
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the maker of Roundup can’t be sued for failing to warn people that the weedkiller could cause cancer. The decision follows failed efforts in the Iowa Legislature to limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness. -
The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, will examine how factors like PFAS and nitrate affect Iowans' health
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The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital will receive up to $3 million for pediatric cancer research annually, under a bill signed into law Tuesday. -
Two psychologists from Iowa State University join the program. Their whose research seeks to improve accuracy in witness and suspect testimony in the criminal justice system. Professor of psychology Zlatan Krizan discusses how sleep deprivation may influence confessions and witness statements, while associate professor of psychology Andrew Smith explains how video recording of eyewitness suspect lineups could improve confidence in those practices and assist in criminal trials. Later, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine researcher Colin Kenny explains how using zebrafish in research can help to better understand a rare eye cancer and improve treatment.
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Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for governor, has shared priorities for water quality and healthcare for Iowans, including changes to manure management plans and an immediate reversal of the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa.
