For three straight years, Iowa has ranked as the nation’s second-worst state for cancer rates, and that’s the topic of today’s day-long symposium in Des Moines.
Adam Shriver is wellness and nutrition director at the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement, based at Drake University.
“We usually have a mix of concerned citizens, public health experts, people concerned about the environment,” Shriver says, “and then it varies a little year by year based on what our theme is, and this year we have about 350 people registered, about split roughly evenly between online and in-person.”
The event will explore the comprehensive landscape of cancer care, Shriver says, from environmental hazards that impact people’s health to clinical interventions that save lives.
“We’re talking about treatment, but we’re also talking about many of the factors that go into people getting cancer in the first place,” Shriver says, “which includes lifestyle factors and then also some environmental risk factors.”
One of this year’s keynote speakers is Dr. Ricardo Salvador, co-founder of the HEAL Food Alliance — HEAL stands for Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor, who will zero in on the treatment and prevention of cancer.
“We thought that having it the theme of our annual symposium would be a great way of focusing on the dimensions of it that were really a theme of Senator (Tom) Harkin’s career,” Shriver says. “He talked a lot about preventative medicine and not just treating people once they’re sick, but also being proactive and understanding the social determinants of health and how having healthy lifestyles can impact our health.”
Another speaker will be Dr. Jesse Bell, from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who’s an expert on nitrate pollution in drinking water. Shriver says there are years of research that show connections between nitrates and an elevated cancer risk.
“One of the most compelling studies came out in Denmark where they looked at 1.2 million people and looked at the connection between nitrates in drinking water and colorectal cancer,” Shriver says. “We also have a report coming out very soon with the Iowa Environmental Council that looks at the different environmental risk factors.”
The event is underway through 5 PM at Drake University’s Olmsted Center, or click here for a live stream.