IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – University of Iowa researchers are launching a new statewide effort to better understand how environmental exposures may affect the health of Iowans.
The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information and Geospatial Health Tracking, or Iowa INSIGHT, will officially launch July 1st. The program will study environmental exposures across the state and examine how they may be connected to health outcomes, including cancer.
The program is a collaboration between the University of Iowa’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering. A $5 million gift from Sharon and Kyle Krause is funding the initiative.
“We’re really trying to better understand the environmental contamination in the water that we drink and the air that we breath and how that’s impacting public health,” said Larry Weber, director of IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering.
The launch also follows Gov. Kim Reynolds’ recent announcement of a $319 million package aimed at improving water quality and expanding environmental monitoring across Iowa.
Researchers said Iowa already collects large amounts of environmental data. The challenge, they say, has been connecting that information to people’s health histories to better understand potential long-term impacts.
“We’ve noted over the last several years that our cancer rates are increasing in the state of Iowa and one of the lacking pieces of information is just what is the environmental exposure history to those folks who have had detrimental health outcomes?” Weber said.
Researchers say Iowa INSIGHT will look beyond nitrates, studying other contaminants and emerging environmental threats found in Iowa’s air, water and environment.
Part of the program’s mission will also be making that information easier for the public to access.
“I’m a big believer in Iowans’ right to know,” said David Cwiertny, director of the UI Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination. “And I think, just in generally, when it comes to environmental quality information, people should know. We should make that data as available and transparent and accessible.”
The donation funding the program comes from Sharon and Kyle Krause, longtime Iowa philanthropists. Kyle Krause is the former chairman and CEO of Kum & Go and has supported a variety of education, health and community initiatives across the state through the family’s foundation.
Researchers say the goal of Iowa INSIGHT is not only to collect data, but to provide scientific evidence that can help communities, policymakers, and families better understand environmental health risks and potentially reduce them in the future.
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