Sacrificing Iowa’s Land and Water to Feed the World
David Cwiertny, PhD ‘06
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination
University of Iowa
FEB. 4 @ 3 P.M.
HYBRID: HOMEWOOD CAMPUS, AMES 234 & VIA ZOOM
REGISTER
ABSTRACT: Iowa proudly "feeds and fuels the world", leading the nation in corn and soybean production, while also being the leading producer of hogs and laying chickens. The agricultural intensification of Iowa's landscape presents immense environmental challenges while raising human health concerns over risks from agrochemical exposures. This presentation will look at three different aspects of Iowa's environmental and public health challenges: the continental-scale problem of nitrate pollution that both contributes to Gulf hypoxia and imperils local drinking water supplies; unique pollutant discharges found at the food-energy-water nexus; and the fate and effects of the widely used but understudied chemicals that help Iowa lead the nation in crop production and animal agriculture.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: David Cwiertny, PhD is the William D. Ashton Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Iowa (UI). His research broadly focuses on water quality and water treatment, with particular interests at their intersections with public health and public policy. At UI, he directs the state-funded Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), which conducts Iowa-centric research to identify, measure, and prevent adverse health outcomes from exposure to environmental contaminants.