Abstract
Iowa, a rural state in the Midwest, now has the highest rate of new cancer cases. This may be surprising as we often equate farmland with nature and then nature with well-being. Unfortunately this is a profoundly and tragically false mythology. In the paper, I detail the sorts and amounts of herbicides and pesticides used on Iowa cropland and show, from a considerable weight of empirical evidence, that the use of these chemicals is essential for understanding Iowa’s high rate of new cancers. I also argue that irresponsible risks were taken in herbicide-pesticide application. In the last section, I argue that the irresponsible risks were mostly hidden from citizens. We are only at the very beginning of dealing with these tragic health consequences and industrial agriculture cannot retreat from the chemical arsenal on insects and weeds because it is part of a deeply entrenched “wicked problem.”
Presenters
John PauleyProfessor, Philosophy-Interdisciplinary Studies-Social Justice, Simpson College, Iowa, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—Unseen Unsustainability: Addressing Hidden Risks to Long-Term Wellbeing for All
KEYWORDS
Cancer, Herbicide, Pesticide, Industrial Agriculture, Wicked Problem
