Dangerously High Levels of Farm Chemicals, Polluting Waterways With Dire Health Consequences

A controversial Iowa water safety report has confirmed what many people in the state have long feared to be true: Dangerously high levels of farm chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides are polluting waterways with potentially dire health consequences for hundreds of thousands of residents. As Iowans’ seek answers for rising cancer rates and other health problems, the report provides a host of recommendations for how to reduce the contamination and protect public health. The question is: Will the state’s powerful agricultural interests listen?

The New Lede breaks down the report and what lies ahead.