Should the world's most widely used weedkiller have a warning label for possibly causing cancer?

Thousands of customers are suing Bayer for its
weedkiller, Roundup, allegedly causing cancer.

Bayer is battling thousands of lawsuits from customers alleging the world’s most widely used weedkiller, Roundup, is causing cancer, report Patrick Thomas and Lydia Wheeler for The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Supreme Court must decide whether Bayer’s failure to provide a warning label on their product is illegal.

The federal government and Environmental Protection Agency determined Roundup is safe for use, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) “prohibits states from imposing different or additional warnings from those required under the federal law,” the reporters explain.

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015, though the EPA and federal government claim it isn’t.

The plaintiffs argue that Bayer should take extra steps to warn consumers of the risks the herbicide might pose, the reporters add.

While states can pull products from the market, Justice Neil Gorsuch questioned why they can’t hold companies liable for failure to warn customers, the Journal reports.

Bayer continues to argue that federal law is created to provide uniformity in the labeling of herbicides. The reporters add that Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked, “If the label is illegal in one state and legal in another state, that’s uniformity?”

What does science say about health risks from widely used glyphosate on U.S. farms? An expert weighs in.

Unlike soybean and corn farmers, wheat growers don't
 routinely use glyphosate. (Photo by H. Shedrow, Unsplash)

Despite thousands of lawsuits and some scientific studies linking glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, to serious human diseases, the compound remains the most popular herbicide for farmers worldwide.

In the U.S., where Roundup is the most commonly used herbicide, many consumers have questions about the health risks glyphosate may pose. According to epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, writing for Your Local Epidemiologist on Substack, the most pressing questions are: "Does glyphosate cause cancer? And how much exposure is actually risky?" She provides some background and details about what "the scientific evidence actually says."

Like many chemicals, natural and synthetic, the dose determines toxicity. "So, at what dose is glyphosate poisonous? The LD50 in rats (the dose that kills half the test animals) is around 5,600 mg/kg body weight," Jetelina explains. "Table salt is roughly 3,000 mg/kg. By that classic measure, glyphosate is less acutely toxic than salt."

Still, many people who work on farms or live near farms may be regularly exposed to "a lot of glyphosate," Jetelina writes. "Among the general public, there are many questions about low-dose, cumulative exposure from multiple sources over long periods."

Correlation maps that show the number of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in counties that spray the most glyphosate seem to point to a relationship between the two. Jetelina adds, "But correlation alone doesn’t establish cause, which is why animal and human studies matter."

Food and Water Watch graph via Your Local Epidemiologist

Tests on rats, which have often been cited as the most alarming, and observation testing on humans, indicate the same thing: "At very high exposure levels, there may be some cancer risk," Jetelina explains. "But that’s about as far as the science currently takes us."

The U.S. EPA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, and regulatory agencies in Australia and Japan have "all concluded that glyphosate is 'unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans' at realistic exposure levels," Jetelina writes. Those regulatory bodies looked at "how much glyphosate people actually encounter and asked what is the probability of harm? Your actual exposure is what determines your actual risk."

In daily life, an average American would be hard-pressed to consume enough glyphosate to do any harm. To exceed EPA's herbicide residue limits, a "150-pound adult would need to eat roughly 50 pounds of oats every day," Jenelina writes. Organic certification doesn't allow synthetic herbicides, so in practice, most herbicides can be avoided by purchasing organic foods.

For farm workers who mix and apply glyphosate, Jenelina advises using personal protective equipment consistently to prevent unnecessary exposure. People who live near farms can help protect themselves from spray drift by "knowing your local agricultural calendar and keeping windows closed during application are the first steps."

A small infusion clinic in rural Texas helps cancer patients not have to drive hundreds of miles a week for care

New Jersey and Rhode Island do not have rural hospitals and are excluded from the analysis.

(Map by Deidre McPhillips, CNN, from Chartis data)

Rural cancer patients often drive hundreds of miles for treatments only bigger cities can offer, but a smaller hospital that chose to add an infusion clinic in a rural area shows that cancer care can move closer to home, reports Caleb Hellerman of CNN News.

Childress Regional Medical Center, which serves roughly 30,000 people in a 5-county region of North Texas, did the opposite of what many smaller hospitals have been doing. They added services instead of shrinking them. Hellerman writes, "Childress [began with] opening a small infusion center in 2013 and steadily expanding its capabilities in order to serve patients."

When it comes to diagnosis, treatment and survival rates, rural cancer patients are already at a disadvantage. Hellerman reports, "Rural cancer patients tend to be diagnosed later and have worse outcomes. . . . Rural patients are also less likely to receive treatment that meets the standard of care."

Although the Childress infusion clinic started small, the need for it quickly became apparent, and its provider count grew to meet the needs of rural patients. Hellerman explains, "The infusion center started with two chairs but has since grown to encompass 10 spots for patients, three full-time pharmacists and three full-time oncology nurses."

Residents in the region are luckier than many of their rural peers. The medical consulting group Chartis "found that 448 rural hospitals – nearly a quarter of the nation’s total – stopped offering chemotherapy services between 2014 and 2024," Hellerman writes. Out of all the states, Texas lost the most.

Beyond the transportation issues, rural cancer patients will continue to face a dwindling number of oncologists willing to practice in rural regions. Some of that shortage is attributed to younger specialists preferring to live and work in more urban areas. But, according to Hellerman, the high cost of cutting-edge cancer drugs is also preventing younger oncologists from considering rural-leaning positions. 

"Oncologists and hospital administrators say pressures are likely to worsen over the next few years as provisions of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' kick in," Hellerman reports. Most of those cuts are slated to come from reducing the number of Americans who receive Medicaid.

Quick hits: Mississippi bans lab-grown dairy; Lawyers for Reporters; pay phones help boomers and zoomers connect

State-level bans like Mississippi's can restrict access to the 
 lab-grown dairy industry. (Photo by A. Chaudhary, Unsplash)

Mississippi is the first state to ban lab-grown dairy after passing a bill effective July 1, reports Karen Bohnert for Dairy Herd Management. Lab-grown dairy is "produced through precision fermentation or cell-culturing techniques" and often referred to as "fake milk," Bohnert explains. The bill, HB 1153, requires strict labeling requirements and updated authority to state inspectors to prevent the manufacture, sale and distribution of cell-cultured dairy throughout the state, Bohnert reports.

Lawyers for Reporters, created by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, is a free resource for American local and public-interest journalism organizations needing legal services, reports Tandy Lau for E&P Magazine. There's a five-person in-house legal team based in New York offering assistance, and they partner with outside counsel for extra support in farther areas. Managing Attorney Kay Murray told E&P they "really guide [journalists] to ensure that they've got the backup to get it right, that they are confident about getting it right [and] that their understanding with their sources is something that everybody is on the same page about." They hope to soon provide more support for investigative reporting and coverage of immigration issues as well. "If I was trying to quantify the value of [Lawyers for Reporter's assistance], it would add up to easily tens of thousands of dollars if not well into the six figures," Warwick Sabin, CEO and president of Deep South Today, told E&P.

A new study found a long-term shift in cancer death trends, with rural areas facing higher cancer death rates than urban areas in recent years, reports Dennis Thompson for U.S. News & World Report. Previously, between 1969 and 1971, “large cities had the highest overall cancer death rates, followed by small- to medium-sized cities.” However, rural areas had the highest rates in 2021 to 2023, and large cities had the lowest rates. Specifically, lung cancer deaths among rural men were 26% lower than city dwellers in 1969 to 1971, but 55% higher in 2021 to 2023. Researchers said the shift and continuously widening gap is “likely driven by limited access to health care, lower cancer screening rates, higher poverty, more smoking and other lifestyle and environmental factors” in rural communities.

In a new social experiment by Matter Neuroscience, two old payphones set up at a nursing home in Nevada and near Boston University allow "zoomers" and "boomers" to call each other from 3,000 miles apart, reports Scottie Andrew for CNN. Designed to help people feel less lonely, this pilot project will last at least a month, according to Matter Neuroscience. "Friendship could come in all ages. Wisdom can come in all forms, and we just want people to get out of their comfort zone and have a conversation," Matter Neuroscience social strategist Calla Kessler said.

GM announced it will be adding a day of factory
production to it heavy-duty truck line. 

General Motors is increasing its heavy-duty truck production, as consumer demand remains strong despite rising gas and diesel prices, reports Christopher Otts for The Wall Street Journal. GM's Flint Assembly plant in Michigan will operate six days a week now, rather than five, producing more heavy-duty versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, Otts reports. Workers will be "mandated into overtime hours to cover the additional day of production," explains Otts. As gas prices have risen by about one-third since the beginning of the Iran war, GM's stock has declined about 10% so far this year, and forecasters predict new-vehicle sales to fall 6.5% in the first quarter.

USDA can remediate 'forever chemical' pollution on U.S. farmlands, new study shows

The new report found that the USDA can respond to
PFAS contamination on U.S. farmland. (TNL photo)

The Department of Agriculture has the resources to address PFAS contamination on U.S. farmland, a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report finds.

The study, which was partially sponsored by the USDA, lists the various tools and remediation planning that can be used to reduce contamination caused by "human-made chemicals that accumulate in the environment and the bodies of humans and animals," which are collectively called "PFAS" or "forever chemicals," reports Shannon Kelleher for The New Lede.

Fertilizer use is one way farmers have unintentionally polluted their soil with forever chemicals. Kelleher explains, "PFAS end up on agricultural lands when farmers apply tainted sewage sludge as a fertilizer, contaminating crops and soil with chemicals linked to certain cancers and other health harms." Forever chemicals can also be added to soil through PFAS-laced pesticides.

The report included a remediation outline and noted that the USDA could leverage its considerable resources to address the farmland PFAS crisis. Researchers suggested the USDA use predictive models, on-site testing and "develop PFAS screening levels for different types of agriculture facilities, soil types and climates," Kelleher reports.

The report also recommends the USDA analyze how forever chemicals interact with different soils and climates to "develop better mechanisms to trap or sequester PFAS, and research ways to minimize the uptake of PFAS in plants and animals," Kelleher writes.

The February Farm Bill draft includes "language that would permit research grants on the agricultural impacts of PFAS in land exposed to firefighting foams, sewage sludge or compost containing the chemicals," Kelleher adds.

Report: Pesticides may be driving Midwestern cancer crisis

Map by Ben Felder, IM, sources from Cancer: National Cancer Institute and the CDC, Pesticides: Pesticide National Synthesis Project, from the U.S. Geological Survey

As cancer diagnosis rates among Midwesterners continue to be higher than the national average, a "growing body of research indicates that pesticides are partly to blame," reports Ben Felder of Investigate Midwest. Pesticide use helped U.S. agriculture become an international commodity powerhouse, but that success may be coming at the expense of Midwestern communities.

Because more than half of U.S. cropland is in the Midwest, Midwesterners who don't live in a major metro area are likely to live near a farm that uses pesticides. Felder explains, "Sprayed from airplanes, drones, tractors and handheld devices, these chemicals can drift through the air or run off into nearby rivers and streams."

"Most of the 500 counties with the highest pesticide use per square mile are located in the Midwest," Felder reports. "Sixty percent of those counties also had cancer rates higher than the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to an analysis of data from both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Cancer Institute."

Lisa Lawler from Hardin County, Iowa, believes that pesticides are the primary driver of cancer diagnoses in her community, including her mother's and her own. Felder writes, "The county is home to around 800 farms, has a pesticide use rate more than four times the national average and a cancer rate among the highest in the state."

Lawler had extensive testing completed to see if her cancer was hereditary. She told Felder, "The genetic test they ran for me was one that covered 81 genes that are typically related to breast cancer. . . .They told me my cancer is likely not genetic, but likely environmental, based on these 81 genes."

Pesticide manufacturers have continued to reject claims that pesticides have any part in regional cancer diagnosis trends. "But scientific research linking pesticides with certain types of cancers has been growing," Felder writes. A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society linked "pesticides to prostate, lung, pancreas and colon cancers. Pesticides have also been associated with lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease."

Forever chemicals in drinking water are a national problem, but smaller communities face the biggest challenge

Minnesota lawmakers learn about technology to remove PFAS.
(Photo by Tad Johnson, Dakota Tribune)

The costs of removing forever chemicals, or PFAS, from municipal water could leave smaller communities behind. Most rural utilities don't have a PFAS contaminant filtration system, nor can they afford one, a 2025 study found. "Small, rural communities are the least likely to have the advanced systems in place," reports Brian Bienkowski for The New Lede.

The technology to remove the long-lasting, human-made "forever chemicals" found in many commercial and industrial products that have been linked to a range of health risks, including several types of cancer, fertility issues and developmental delays in children, can cost millions of dollars to purchase and install.

Even smaller cities are struggling to cover the costs to remove forever chemicals. In Apple Valley, Minnesota, some of the expenses utilities are paying to bring PFAS levels in their drinking water into compliance with Environmental Protection Agency rules will "likely hike water rates [customers pay] to fund a $100 million project to rid its wells of PFAS," reports Eva Herscowitz of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

To help buffer the costs, Apply Valley is asking its legislature to "include $40 million in the 2026 bonding bill for the project that would add membrane filter technology, which would increase the treatment plant’s capacity from 18 million gallons per day to 20 MGD," reports Tad Johnson of Thisweek Dakota County Tribune.

Like many rural areas with higher levels of PFAS contaminants, Apple Valley can't trace the source of its forever chemicals, which has allowed some communities to tap lawsuit dollars from companies such as 3M that were found responsible for tainting regional wells.

The Environmental Study Group found that "just 8% of U.S. water systems are equipped with filters that can remove PFAS. And 98% of systems that have PFAS detections do not have treatment targeting the chemicals."

Dan Hartnett, the chief policy officer at the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, cited a report that "estimated annual household cost to pay for the advanced treatment methods would average an additional $230 per household per year," Bienkowski writes. Hartnett added, “The numbers were significantly higher for the smallest water systems."

Analysis: Growing up in the Corn Belt may contribute to higher cancer rates in younger adults

Skin and kidney cancer rates are higher in big corn-growing
states than the rest of the country. (Adobe Stock photo)

The alarming rate of cancer among younger adults in the U.S. has led to questions and research aimed at addressing the "shift in cancer diagnoses in America, with rates for young adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s trending up even as overall cancer rates decline," report Ariana Eunjung Cha, Dan Keating, Jahi Chikwendiu and Luis Melgar of The Washington Post.

When groups of younger cancer victims were analyzed, growing up in the Midwest emerged as a key risk factor, according to the article. "Cancer rates among young adults in the Corn Belt are rising more rapidly than in the country as a whole." The Corn Belt includes Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Kansas.

When states began tracking their cancer rates in 1999, Corn Belt states reported cancer rates that fell in line with the rest of the country. But in 2015, an unsettling shift began as corn-growing states recorded "a significantly higher cancer rate among those ages 15 to 49," the Post reports. "In the latest data from 2022, those states have a rate 5% higher for young adults and 5% higher for the overall population."

Young adults raised in Corn Belt states "have significantly higher rates of several cancers, especially kidney and skin cancers," Cha writes. "The skin cancer risk for young adults in the corn-producing states is 35% higher for men and 66% higher for women than their peers in other states."

As younger Midwesterners grapple with cancer diagnoses, many are starting to look at the agriculture around them and wonder about its health impacts. The Post reports, "They are raising questions about the role of agribusiness and the water that runs through their communities, and pushing politicians to act in a region where such questions have long been taboo."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently "announced a $1 million investment to establish a research team dedicated to investigating the underlying causes of the state’s growing cancer rates," Cha adds. "Researchers are still working to disentangle national trends from regional anomalies, and the data doesn’t yet offer a satisfying explanation for why cancer rates among the young have shot up here."

Surrounded by crops sprayed with pesticides, Missouri's Bootheel residents report high rates of cancer

Small farming communities dot the Bootheel counties of Missouri, where agriculture is king, and residents live alongside crops regularly treated with pesticides. "The counties with the highest use of pesticides per square mile are all located in Missouri’s Bootheel," report Alex Cox, Adeleine Halsey, Kyla Pehr and Savvy Sleevar of Investigate Midwest. "Many of these counties have some of the state’s highest cancer rates, and their health care options are dwindling."

Dunklin County, Missouri, sits along the western border of the Bootheel and boasts the state's biggest cotton harvest. It also ranks among the state's "top 10 counties with the highest rates of colon cancer," Investigate Midwest reports.

Dunklin County resident Bobby Bibbs is a living example. "She discovered she had cancer in her colon in December 2023, which then metastasized to her liver, making it a stage four diagnosis," Cox writes. Bibbs told reporters, "There are so many (cases) where we are from. It’s got to be coming from somewhere.”

Like her neighbors, Bibbs lives surrounded by crops sprayed with pesticides. Cox writes, "Multiple scientific studies have explored a connection between pesticide use and cancer, pointing to a silent public health crisis hitting rural communities particularly hard."

For tightly-knit rural communities, a cancer diagnosis is shared along the grapevine, as are concerns that the area's only hospital closed in 2018. Investigate Midwest reports, "For cancer care, folks from Dunklin County often travel an hour to Jonesboro, Arkansas, or an hour-and-a-half to Cape Girardeau in Missouri."

Bootheel residents are often hemmed into farming to make a living. "As manufacturing jobs moved out of many places in the Bootheel, [towns] felt the economic sting," the article explains. "One industry that remains is agriculture."

While many area farmers see using agricultural chemicals as a way to protect their livelihoods, most are aware of the potential dangers. Jan McElwrath who has lived in Dunklin County most of her life, told Investigate Midwest, "We’re surrounded by agriculture. We recognize (chemicals) as a risk, but our economy here is very dependent on agriculture.”

Many farmers share positive experiences about using Roundup, despite possible links to cancer

Many U.S. farmers still favor glyphosate as an effective
and affordable herbicide. (Photo by Gabriel, Unsplash)

Many American farmers have favorable opinions on Roundup, a herbicide that remains a global favorite despite some studies linking its active ingredient, glyphosate, to human cancer. Many U.S. farmers say they still plan to use glyphosate, even if its current maker, Bayer, stops producing it. They shared their views on Roundup and weed-mitigation experiences with Lena Nargi of Offrange, formally known as Ambrook Research. 

Brent Searle, an organic raspberry, tomato, garlic, and winter squash farmer in eastern Idaho, “expressed a strain of ‘meh.’ He uses OMRI-approved herbicides on his crops but glyphosate on his three acres of driveway,” Nargi writes. Organic chemicals, he said, ‘hit you with a six-times cost’ that is ‘astronomical’ for small-scale growers, ‘and honestly, they don’t work as well.’”

Rick Machado, who breeds seeds for experimental crops in California, despised Roundup and its original maker, Monsanto, but ended up using glyphosate when “he got hit with bindweed,” Nargi writes. He told her, “I used it [Roundup], I kicked myself, but there was nothing I could do."

Jeff Stoltzfus believes glyphosate is the key to his successful no-till farming practice. Nargi adds, “The conservation plan for his 45 acres connected to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which is plagued by sediment issues, requires that he use no-till practices." He told Nargi, “There’s no herbicide I’d rather use.”

Jimmy Tosh agrees with Stoltzfus. “On his 17,000-row crop and hog acres in Henry, Tennessee, the use of glyphosate is 100% a given,” Nargi writes. “It’s helped him control Johnson grass. . . . He believes claims that Roundup causes health issues are ‘ridiculous,’ he said. ‘Most studies show it to be a safe and effective chemical.’”

Mark Nussbaum will continue to use glyphosate “on his 800 acres of hardwood trees,” Nargi writes. “And he said he’ll continue to do so until ‘there becomes scientifically based, peer-reviewed evidence that glyphosate is harmful.’”

Many farmers agreed that while Bayer may stop making Roundup, they will purchase glyphosate from another producer. Nargi explains, “Since its patent expired in 2000 — and with it, Monsanto’s exclusive right to use it in products sold here — off-brand formulations for agricultural use, with names like Buccaneer and Killzall, have been widely available at the local farm supply."

Bayer considers Monsanto bankrupcy as one way to settle thousands of Roundup lawsuits

Roundup is used by farmers
around the world.

 

Despite being the most popular herbicide in the world, Roundup continues to be at the heart of thousands of lawsuits alleging the product's active ingredient, glyphosate, is linked to human cancers. Bayer, which owns Roundup, is working on resolving the lawsuits while "exploring a bankruptcy filing for its Monsanto agriculture business," report Andrew Scurria, Akiko Matsuda, Patrick Thomas and Alexander Gladstone of The Wall Street Journal.

Because Bayer has already attempted and failed to resolve much of its Roundup litigation, the "German drug and agriculture conglomerate is preparing a bankruptcy filing," intended to "cover the weedkiller’s U.S. manufacturer, Monsanto," the Journal reports. "A Chapter 11 filing by Monsanto would pause lawsuits against the division and open a path to settling its share of Roundup-related liability in bankruptcy court."

Roundup was developed by Monsanto and sold to U.S. farmers and gardeners beginning around 1974. The product was used for roughly 40 years before lawsuits against Monsanto began following a study published in 2013 that suggested glyphosate may cause human cancer. The Journal reports, "Lawsuits alleging a link between glyphosate — the key ingredient in Roundup — and cancer have dogged Bayer since its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto."

Roundup litigation, payouts and company stock slumps have cost Bayer billions and led the company to warn "farmers, suppliers and retailers that it may stop producing Roundup absent a resolution of the tort claims. . . . Bayer’s shares are down about 75% since it acquired Monsanto in 2018," according to the Wall Street Journal report. "The Roundup litigation has cost the company about $10 billion in legal payouts as part of the $16 billion it has so far set aside for settlements."

Nonetheless, the company said it "is committed to resolving its litigation headache in the next 12 to 18 months," the Journal reports. "About 67,000 cases alleging it caused plaintiffs’ cancer are pending. . . . U.S. farmers rely on Roundup to produce soybean, corn and cotton crops that are genetically modified to withstand the weedkiller."

To read how Bayer could use bankruptcy to carve out lawsuit resolutions, click here.

Upcoming 'Make America Healthy Again' report targeting farming chemicals is already under review

U.S. farmers apply almost 300 million pounds of
glyphosate, or Roundup, per year. (Adobe Stock photo)

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may want his "Make America Healthy Again" strategy to include rooting out farm herbicides and pesticides as a national health concern, but the idea is already facing pushback, report Kristina Peterson, Josh Dawsey and Liz Essley Whyte of The Wall Street Journal. "Some White House and agency officials are concerned the move would disrupt the food-supply chain."

Kennedy plans to use MAHA's May 22 report to push U.S. food producers away from heavy chemical use. "White House officials have raised concerns about the pesticide push and are closely reviewing the coming report," the Journal reports. Although President Trump committed to investigating pesticides during his campaign, where he will finally stand on the issue remains unclear.

The report will likely target glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Roundup, as an ongoing danger to human health; however, removing it from the U.S. food supply seems nearly impossible. Not only is glyphosate the world's most popular herbicide, "more than 90% of soybean, corn and cotton crops planted in the U.S. are genetically modified to withstand glyphosate-based weedkiller," the Journal reports. "American farmers apply almost 300 million pounds of glyphosate to their fields each year, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey." 

The report is also expected to call out "atrazine, a herbicide used on grasses and corn, as a possible problematic toxin," Peterson, Dawsey and Whyte add. Between glyphosate and atrazine, glyphosate is more popular with farmers, and limiting its use could prove detrimental.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (Rep., Md.), during a Wednesday hearing, "told Kennedy that going after pesticides could hurt farmers," the Journal reports. "Kennedy said he shared that concern and that the government 'cannot be putting [farmers] out of business.'"

Comments by a White House spokesman depicted MAHA's first report as a foundational review that could guide further research into chronic health issues in the United States.

Bayer threatens to end Roundup production, but American farmers depend on it. They may have to get it from China.

A farmer spreads pesticide on a field.
(Adobe Stock photo)

Despite its long run as many farmers' first choice for an effective weedkiller, Roundup's time on the market may be almost over. "Pharmaceutical and agriculture conglomerate Bayer said it could stop producing the world’s most popular weedkiller, unless it gets court protection against lawsuits blaming the herbicide for causing cancer," reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal.

Roundup was patented by agriculture and science research giant Monsanto in 1971, and the company began marketing the glyphosate-based herbicide in 1974. Over time, Roundup made billions of dollars in sales for Monsanto and later for Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018. Thomas writes, "Bayer currently produces about 40% of the world’s glyphosate, which farmers spray across fields to tame crop-threatening weeds."

Over the past 10 years, Roundup has had strong U.S. sales; however, Bayer is now drowning in "waves of litigation," Thomas explains. The suits caused Bayer's stock price to plunge and cost the company roughly "$10 billion in payouts to plaintiffs. In early March, Bayer told farmers, suppliers and retailers that it may stop selling Roundup, which would leave U.S. farmers reliant on imported glyphosate from China."

While some Americans may question the use of glyphosates, American farmers depend on it. "American farmers apply almost 300 million pounds of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, to their fields each year," Thomas reports. Stu Swanson, who is president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, told Thomas, “Roundup [glyphosate] helps us produce in an economic way and for products we raise to be cheaper.”

Given production costs and lawsuits, producing Roundup is no longer profitable for Bayer. Some state legislatures are "discussing Bayer-supported bills that would protect pesticide companies from claims that they failed to warn that their product allegedly causes cancer if their product labels have been approved by the EPA without such designation," Thomas explains. "Plaintiffs’ attorneys have vowed legal challenges to such laws, if passed."

If Bayer stops producing Roundup, it's unlikely that another company would be willing to replace it and accept the product's ongoing and future liability.

Public water is tested for toxins, but private well-water is not; some residents push for required testing to save lives

Well water that looks and tastes clean isn't always
contaminant free. (Photo by A. Sikdar, Unsplash)

Water used by public utilities is subject to testing and contaminant limits, but well water from private wells is not. Around 43 million Americans drink, bathe and cook with water from private wells that have never been tested, which often leaves them unaware of what's in their water, reports Silvia Foster-Frau of The Washington Post. "The levels and pervasiveness of some contaminants in [private] wells are increasing, studies show."

Public drinking water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, which sets ceilings for toxins; however, water from private wells is excluded from the agency's oversight. "The agency doesn’t regulate the drinking water of the more than 1 in 10 people who get their water from their own private wells," Foster-Frau writes. Private well owners often believe that their water is fresher and purer than "city water" because it's drawn directly from the earth, but that's often not the case. "Experts say private wells can be a breeding ground for a host of toxins, from dangerous bacteria to known carcinogens."

Especially in rural areas, where residents often want more independence from regulation, conflicts have grown as some individuals want required water well testing and others want it to be their choice. In the case of Cathy Cochrane, a resident in Toutle, Washington, who is struggling with cancer, she would have preferred the county had required private well testing. Foster-Frau reports, "Cochrane discovered that the water she had been drinking for nearly a decade contained 638 parts per billion of arsenic, a toxin that can cause cancer and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. . . . There is no reliable way to tell if cancer is caused by arsenic versus other factors."

Arsenic occurs naturally in soil, so many residents don't give it a second thought -- or they don't realize it's there to begin with. Cochrane told Foster-Frau, "Arsenic is the perfect murder weapon. You can’t detect it.” After Cochrane spoke at a Toutle commission meeting, "The commissioners agreed to extend a public water supply line from the town of Toutle to Cochrane’s neighborhood, less than a mile away."

Cochrane's presentation spurred further inquiry. "Central Washington University graduate student William Hays has taken up the issue as his thesis project," Foster-Frau adds. "He has been knocking on doors in the Toutle area where Cochrane lives and requesting samples of water from private wells. He wants to understand just how far the naturally occurring arsenic is spread throughout the county, which would provide insight into the scope of the contaminated water problem."

Rural cancer patients face 'chemotherapy deserts.' Traveling for care means more time and expenses for rural families.

Rural cancer patients are less likely to survive their
diagnosis. (Adobe Stock photo)

One way struggling rural hospitals cut costs is by closing specialized services such as rural cancer care units, which are expensive to staff and run. As more country hospitals have shed cancer care treatment, rural residents face longer drives for treatment and poorer cancer outcomes, reports Charlotte Huff of KFF Health News. Getting cancer treatment for rural Americans wasn't ever easy, but now there are "chemotherapy deserts."

Between 2014 and 2022, 382 rural hospitals ended their cancer treatment services. "Texas led that list, with 57 rural hospitals — nearly half of those statewide that had offered chemotherapy — cutting the service by 2022," Huff writes. "Rural hospitals in states like Texas, which hasn’t expanded Medicaid, have been more likely to close, according to data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research."

Living in a chemotherapy desert can have numerous negative outcomes for patients and their families. "Treatments for breast, colon and other common cancers must be administered intravenously inside a medical facility," Huff explains. "Even distances of an hour or two each way can strain patients who already may be coping with nausea, diarrhea and other side effects." Travel costs, alongside a family member taking time off work to drive a cancer patient to treatment, add to the disease's financial strain for rural families.

"Cancer infusions can last as long as eight hours on top of the travel time, causing significant financial and logistical challenges, said Erin Ercoline, executive director of the ThriveWell Cancer Foundation," Huff reports. "The nonprofit provides adult patients with financial assistance, including for gaps in insurance and transportation-related costs."

Even within communities that have financial buffers to help rural cancer patients, distance from care exacts a toll. "Rural patients are less likely to survive at least five years after a cancer diagnosis compared with their urban counterparts, concluded a study co-authored by Lewis-Thames and published in JAMA Network Open in 2022," Huff writes. "While the rural-urban survival gap narrowed over the nearly 40 years researchers studied, the disparity persisted across most racial and ethnic groups."

Series of columns, "What I learned from dying," by rural weekly journalist Dave Taylor is now a book

Taylor’s book is available on Amazon.com.

In spring 2021, Dave Taylor found out he had Stage 4 esophageal cancer. The veteran journalist and editor of the weekly Hancock Clarion in Hawesville, Kentucky, began writing about the experience the week afterward in a column series called "What I Learned From Dying."

"If things go well this will be a long-term column that could serve as catharsis for me or a peek behind the gown for those who are curious," Taylor wrote in the first column. "If things don’t go as well, then maybe it’s just a long, rambling goodbye."

Taylor's columns weren't destined to remain a rambling goodbye. Instead, his widow Jamie D. Taylor re-released the entire collection as a softcover book available on Amazon.

Taylor told Jennifer Wimmer of the Clarion, "I believe what Dave achieved with his columns every week was amazing. . . . I saw how hard it was for him, physically and emotionally, to write those columns. . . . For him to go from being so very black and white to putting his heart in these columns and being completely vulnerable. . . I was just so proud of him. . . . He always wanted to publish a book, and I just feel like this was my way of making sure that his dream came true."

The book's cover also has a story. Dave commissioned the artist just 10 hours before his death. "Dave had texted Aaron Kizer, the artist who created his portrait," Wimmer writes, "asking him about painting it for him. That text is included in the book. Aaron also kindly accepted a commission to complete Jamie’s portrait, which was completed with Dave’s ashes."

As Dave faced cancer, he leaned on his faith in God, and Jamie Taylor hopes these shared details might help others. She told the Clarion: "I just hope that people who have cancer or love someone with cancer can pick it up and relate to it, and just understand that you can live a good life while you’re going through these things. . . . If there are any book clubs or churches that would like me to come and talk about the book, our prayers and our experience with cancer, I’m willing to do that. I want to share how faith can get you through these really hard times."

You can contact Jamie Taylor with any questions, or to schedule a speaking engagement at: davetaylorproject@gmail.com

Early week quick hits: Addressing mental health issues; finding funny stories; using lasers to make birds leave

Colorado Department of Agriculture photo via Successful Farming

Farming and ranching are two livelihoods that are tough on the human body and mind. For men and women in either or both professions, seeking help for mental stress can mean overcoming social stigmas and a lack of access. A new film, Legacy, from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Farm Bureau aims to break down social barriers for farmers and ranchers who experience isolation and mental health issues, reports Lisa Foust Prater of Successful Farming. The film takes viewers into the stories of "several farmers and ranchers who share glimpses into their lives, including losing a loved one to suicide or facing their own struggles with mental health. . . .They speak candidly about the struggles faced by those working in agriculture and the difficulties with finding help." Watch the film here.

Cancer used to be a disease people mostly over 50 had to worry about. Now, many younger people are turning up with aggressive cancers, and researchers can't yet explain what has changed. "Adults in the prime of their lives, often otherwise outwardly healthy, are dying of cancers that appear to develop more quickly and be more deadly than in the past, for reasons that scientists cannot adequately explain, reports Dylan Scott of Vox. "Scientific authorities around the world see this as one of the most pressing questions for modern medicine."

Reading a funny book can make life sweeter.
(Adobe Stock photo)

One of The Rural Blog writers insists that the world needs more laughter. With that idea in mind, here are 22 books that could help you giggle, guffaw, chortle and even snort out loud. "The humor these authors embrace traverses the gamut, from sardonic to screwball, mordant to madcap, droll to deranged," report Dwight Garner, Alexandra Jacobs and Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times. "The critic Albert Murray understood that wit is power, and that knowing where the funny is takes us closer to the nub of things. Best of all, it's available to anyone. As Murray wrote, 'It is always open season on the truth.'"

As many rural hospitals and clinics have closed or limited services, getting medical care or chronic health treatment services has become an uphill battle for residents. The American Heart Association visited Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, the Dakotas and West Virginia to shed light on rural health challenges and how residents and communities are working to overcome obstacles. Their exploration and discussions are presented in the docuseries, "Health Wanted: Find Care in Rural America." Click here for each state's episode.

Lasers can deter birds.
(Bird Control Group photo via SF)

Some Wisconsin farmers use lasers to keep wild birds away from their animals, reducing their chance of avian flu exposure. "When the human eye examines one of Craig Duhr's lasers at a Wisconsin farm, only a green dot is visible. But to birds, a variety of green beams and shifting patterns appear," reports Jonah Beleckis of Wisconsin Public Radio. Laser beams do not harm birds, but the birds "simply see the lasers as a threat and leave the area. . . . Wisconsin's agriculture department recommends farmers use biosecurity measures, such as lasers, to protect poultry flocks."

Maine Monitor analysis,
from State Fire Marshal data

Maine firefighters have the cool trucks and trademark hats, and some even have a station dog. But fighting fires is not what they spend most of their time doing. Amber Stone of The Maine Monitor reports, "A mere 4.5 percent of the 160,435 calls for service in 2022 were for fires, according to a Monitor analysis of State Fire Marshal data. Seventy percent of those calls were for emergency medical response. More than half of Maine's 338 registered fire departments are also licensed at some level to provide emergency medical services, according to Maine EMS, and more are considering doing so."

EPA issues drinking water standards for toxic 'forever chemicals;' for cities and towns, an unknown price awaits

Removing PFAS from drinking water is
costly. (Photo by Samara Doole, Unsplash)

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued its first drinking water standards for "forever chemicals," which are long-lasting and human-made chemicals found in many commercial and industrial products, including nonstick pans, food packaging and common pesticides.  The slowly degrading chemicals have ended up in U.S. drinking water supplies, reports Elizabeth Daigneau of Route Fifty. "The EPA says the new rule will reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses."

The harmfulness of forever chemicals was well documented even as companies continued to use them. Amanda Hoover of Wired reports, "High levels of exposure can cause fertility issues, developmental delays in children, and reduced immune responses, according to the EPA. They can also elevate the risk of several cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer."

A striking example of how deadly exposure to these chemicals can be was 20-year-old Amara Strande, who died of cancer about a year ago. Strande "became an activist in her short life after being diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer five years earlier," Daigneau reports. "The cancer, which eventually spread to her throat and lungs, was attributed to her exposure to a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS."

While many communities know their water is tainted by forever chemicals, addressing the problem was strangulated by cost. "City and county water districts agree that something must be done, [but] they are worried the new rule will cost them billions of dollars," Daigneau writes. "To allay these concerns, the Biden administration announced nearly $1 billion in newly available funding through the infrastructure law to help states implement PFAS testing and treatment at public water systems." Some industry estimates indicate that $1 billion in funding won't be near enough.

Read Daigneau's full article to learn more about water clean-up and cost concerns. Click here for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies fact sheet on PFAS myths and clean-up price estimates.

Colon cancer is up among young adults; many don't think they're susceptible to it, and thus don't get screened for it

Cancer survivors pose for a photo at a colorectal-cancer awareness
installation. (Photo by Paul Morigi, Getty Images, via NatGeo) 

Colorectal cancer is no longer "an old people's disease;" it's hitting younger people more frequently, reports Tara Haelle of National Geographic. "One in five cases diagnosed today occurs in people younger than age 55, compared to one in 10 cases in 1995, according to a study published by the American Cancer Society. . . . There’s no clear explanation for this trend, but a new paper published in Science suggests a number of possible reasons, including environmental and genetic factors. Low screening rates and misdiagnosis in people who don’t suspect cancer likely also play a role."

The research also found more "diagnoses of advanced disease, which is particularly concerning because colonoscopies are 'a great tool for prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer in terms of screening that can actually detect and remove precancerous lesions,' says lead author Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society," Haelle reports. "Survival rates are 90 percent if detected early enough."

Earlier screenings are part of the solution. Haelle notes that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that screenings begin at age 45 instead of 50, but Siegel said earlier screening is needed for those with risk factors "such as genetic risk scores, dietary lifestyle, obesity and family history," Haelle reports. "The most common symptoms for colorectal cancer in younger patients are abdominal pain; unexplained weight loss; changes in the frequency, size or appearance of stools; and rectal bleeding, which occurs in 46 percent of early-onset cases compared to 26 percent of cases in adults over age 50." 

Rural women have high death rates from cancer; sending them interactive DVDs increased screeing rates, study finds

Photo by Angiola Harry, Unsplash

Still using DVDs? You're not the only one. Some cancer researchers have discovered the medium can be an excellent rural outreach tool. They sent tailored, interactive DVDs to women in rural Ohio and Indiana "to educate and remind them to be screened for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers — three cancers that account for 40% of new cancer cases and a quarter of cancer deaths among U.S. women each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," reports Nada Hassanein of USA Today. "Timely screenings are important to catch disease at an earlier stage, but rural women have lower rates of screening for all three of those cancers. In the study, "Women who received a DVD were nearly twice as likely to obtain all the screenings compared to women. And those who were also paired with a patient navigator by phone had a six-fold greater chance of getting a screening, according to the study by researchers from Ohio State University and the state."

Connecting medical education and treatment with rural residents required an intentional, unique approach. The study, published in the American Medical Association's JAMA Network Open, involved 960 women, ages 50 to 74, who were not up-to-date on screenings. DVDs were used because "Many rural residents still lack broadband, which hinders telehealth services," Hassanein reports. The DVDs "provided information to patients about risk, age group, family history and the benefits of screening, said study coauthor Electra Paskett, a cancer epidemiology professor." The study used as navigators social workers who called the women to help set up screenings and find assistance to navigate barriers like transportation.

Paskett told Hassanein, "The question still is access: Not only broadband access, internet access, but access to a computer or a smartphone, which is not universal." Hassaneon writes, "Tailored approaches can really move the needle in helping patients get screened, as seen throughout the pandemic with community-level vaccination campaigns, Paskett said."

Cancer kills a disproportionate share of rural women. "More than half — 58% — of the rural aging population 65 and older are women," Hassanein reports. "While cancer rates are slightly lower in rural areas compared to urban, cancer-related deaths are significantly higher — 180 deaths per 100,000 compared to 158 in urban areas, the CDC reports."

Screening is only a start. Robin Yabroff, an American Cancer Society scientist, told Hassanein, "It's also important to make sure that they maintain that cancer screening – that if they do have an abnormal screening test, that they get timely follow up. It's a part of the bigger process. Not only is regular screening important, but should someone be diagnosed with cancer, making sure they have access to timely and high-quality cancer care.”