Ringgold County a cancer ‘hotspot’

On the health front, the new year brings good news and bad news, especially for Iowa and Ringgold County, specifically.

The good news – the cancer incidence rate nationwide is falling. (Incidence rate measures the number of new cancer diagnoses in a given population.)

The bad news – Iowa has the second highest cancer incidence rate in the nation. Only six states have incidence rates that are rising, but Iowa’s is rising the fastest.

Iowa ranks second only to Kentucky with the most cancer diagnoses per capita.

The worst news – According to statistics from the National Cancer Institute, Ringgold County carries the third highest incidence rate in the state, with Decatur County closely behind with the fourth highest. (Palo Alto and Cass counties are ranked first and second.)

Because populations vary widely from location to location, incidence rates are calculated as per capita (the number of cases per 100,000 population) to derive a statistical comparison.

The American Cancer Society estimates 21,000 new cancers were diagnosed among Iowans in 2024, with 6,250 projected to have died from the disease.

Ringgold County’s per capita cancer mortality rate is 215.2, well above the state rate of 154.2.

[It must be noted that specific statistics may vary from source to source and from year to year. However, all sources agree the state of Iowa is among the states with the highest risk of cancer diagnoses. Similarly, all sources agree Ringgold County is near the top of Iowa cancer risks.]

Causes

Researchers are divided on the root causes behind Iowa’s high cancer rate.

Many researchers point to the use of pesticides. Pesticides have been linked to various cancers including lung, pancreatic, cancer and leukemia.

According to an article published by The Hill, “The researchers found a difference of 154,000 cancer cases per year, adjusted for population, between the area with the lowest pesticide use — the Great Plains — and that with the highest, the corn belt of the inner Midwest, where hundreds of millions of pounds of glyphosate are applied each year across millions of acres of Roundup Ready corn.”

Researchers point to other factors such as obesity, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, radon exposure, and unprotected exposure to the sun.

According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Ringgold County has an obesity prevalence of 35%, below the state average of 37.4%. However, Iowa currently ranks 11th in the nation for adult obesity.

The county’s smoking rate was reported as 19.1%, well above the 11.6% national average.

HHS reports 23.1% of Iowa adults qualify as excessive drinkers, well above the national average 16.4%. The Iowa Cancer Registry reports Iowa has the 4th highest incidence of alcohol-related cancers in the U.S., and the highest rate in the Midwest. Iowa ranked 4th highest in the nation for binge drinking in 2022.

All 99 Iowa counties are considered at “highest potential” for excessive radon exposure.

Reactions

The University of Iowa and the Iowa Cancer Registry have partnered to create the “Cancer in Iowa: 99 Counties Project.”

The goal of the project is to present county-specific cancer information and address community concerns in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. Local public health agencies will host the events with state officials in a virtual format.

Time will be allotted to listen to the questions, concerns, and ideas from community members. Information about resources to help reduce the burden of cancer will also be provided. One such meeting has already taken place in Palo Alto County, the location of the highest cancer rates in the state.

Public Health nurse administrator Becky Fletchall reports the session has not yet been scheduled for Ringgold County.