Cancer is clustered along one rural road in Minnesota, grantee finds

In a related story for Circle of Blue, a news non-profit, Schneider chronicled the story of a community of Minnesota farmers whose cancer cluster may be linked to overuse of chemicals. Among the four families who lived for decades along one country road, 12 people developed cancer and seven died. Though the causes are not proven, a key suspect is believed to be the elevated levels of nitrates in drinking water on this road.  As is the case throughout U.S. farm country, nitrates commonly flow into well water and other water sources, running off fields treated with commercial fertilizer and livestock manure. Over the last decade, a growing number of peer-reviewed medical studies have linked exposure to nitrates in drinking water to elevated incidences of cancer, Schneider found. The story is part of a series Schneider is writing with support from the Fund.