Our finest hour?

Full and fair disclosure. I lost my wife of 40-plus years to breast cancer on Christmas 2021. She was a nurse, educator, mother and grandmother and my best friend.  So, yes, when it comes to cancer, I’ve got strong feelings.  But I’m not alone.  There are far too many Iowa families suffering such devastating loss.  But what really saddens me is knowing so many of the seats around Iowa family dinner tables shouldn’t be empty today. You know, we’ve heard it all before. Iowa suffers the second highest cancer rate in the nation. And, while cancer rates nationally are declining, Iowa's are increasing, sharply. But why? Science confirms that common cancers—breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, and skin melanoma—are associated with environmental risk factors, such as pesticides, nitrates, PFAS and radon.