GET ME REWRITE: Iowa GOP fine and dandy with the damage pesticides and herbicides do to their constituents

 

Headline:  Des Moines Register, 7/20/2025

Photo:  State Sen. Mike Bousselot, bill sponsor

Sabine Martin reports:

Gradoville, a retired public school teacher who grew up in Iowa, identified a cancerous tumor in his bladder two years ago. He said he doesn't know the cause of his cancer, but if pesticide and herbicide manufacturers in the future deem their products as not safe, he wants every avenue open to be able to hold them accountable in court. 

He was one of dozens of Iowans who rallied against the bill during the session. Rich Gradoville speaks during a rally against SSB 1051 on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at the Iowa State Capitol. 

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country, according to the 2024 Iowa Cancer Registry. The cancer registry predicted that 6,100 people would die in Iowa in 2024 from cancer. [emphasis added] 

"The thing that you worry about with this delay and divide mentality that happens in the industry, and I think in politics, just keep delaying it and delaying it and then they wear people down where they're in a safe position, and all of a sudden they're surprised by it," Gradoville said.