83 Groups Call On HHS, EPA To Take Emergency Action On Industrial Agriculture's Nitrate Pollution Crisis

On May 5, 83 groups sent a letter to Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin calling on them to take emergency action on industrial agriculture’s nitrate water pollution crisis to protect Americans’ drinking water at the source and at the tap.

The letter comes on the heels of a recent Iowa Environmental Council and Harkin Institute report, which found Iowa has the nation’s highest waterway nitrate contamination, linked to high and rising cancer rates. Iowa ranks second in the nation for cancer incidence and is one of just three states where rates are rising. Iowa’s primary nitrate polluter is industrial agriculture, with more factory farms and more row cropped acreage than any other state. Among other demands, the letter calls on EPA to act on a Safe Drinking Water Act emergency petition filed to protect Iowans’ drinking water in 2024.

The proliferation of nitrate pollution in drinking water is not a phenomenon unique to Iowa. A recent EWG report found that roughly 1 in 5 Americans’ drinking water contains nitrates. Industrial agriculture is a primary contributor, most notably from factory farm waste and synthetic fertilizer runoff. High nitrate contamination levels have been observed in areas dominated by industrial agriculture nationwide. Over the past several years, groups have petitioned EPA for emergency action on the issue in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington.

Drinking nitrate-contaminated water is linked to a host of negative health outcomes including birth defects and cancers. Substantial new evidence suggests that nitrate exposure may be toxic at levels far lower than the current federal safety threshold of 10mg/L, meaning that people across the U.S. are being exposed to dangerous chemicals even from regulated water systems that meet current safety standards.

Colleen Fowle, Water Program Director for the Iowa Environmental Council, said: “Iowans have been raising alarm bells about our water quality for a long time, and for good reason. Our ‘Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa’s Cancer Crisis’ report shows associations between nitrates and cancer types that are common — and rising — in Iowa. Major Iowa rivers are among the most nitrate-contaminated waterways in the nation. We cannot wait any longer to address this urgent public health crisis.”

Food & Water Watch Senior Attorney Tyler Lobell, who co-authored the letter, said: “Nitrate pollution in U.S. drinking water has reached crisis levels. Factory farms and other industrial agriculture polluters are dumping untold amounts of waste into the environment, contaminating drinking water with cancer-causing nitrates. Regulators across the country and at the federal level have allowed this industry to pollute with impunity, and we’re all paying the price. The time for emergency action is now. Federal agencies charged with protecting our health must step in and protect drinking water from toxic nitrates.”

Dr. Stacy Woods, Research Director, Union of Concerned Scientists, who co-authored the letter, said: “Nitrate in drinking water is a serious public health problem linked to cancer and other health impacts, and we know agricultural practices like excessive fertilizer use and poor manure management are largely responsible. The federal government must act now to curb nitrate pollution and safeguard our communities, because no one should face health risks from preventable pollution in their tap water."

Nancy Stoner, Senior Attorney, Environmental Law & Policy Center, who co-authored the letter, said: “This report showing the link between nitrate contaminated tap water and cancer rates in Iowa should be a wake-up call for the whole country. We can prevent this cancer risk by removing nitrate from tap water — or keeping it out of drinking water sources — and we should work together to do so.”