Water quality plan needs monitoring for all contaminants — not just nitrates
Sophia Walsh, an environmental health specialist with the Cerro Gordo health department, collects a sample of Jack and Sandy Davis' water on Tuesday, August 9, 2016, in Clear Lake. Jack and Sandy have their water tested twice a year after discovering their well water was contaminated with arsenic.
Studies funded by organizations like Iowa’s Center for the Health Effects of Environmental Contamination identify a host of negative health effects from nitrates, including bladder and thyroid cancer, and birth defects such as brain and spinal cord abnormalities.