The communities of Rock & Pipestone county in southwest Minnesota have been losing too many residents to cancer. The water … is it killing us? More testing is necessary and options to improve water conditions need to be explored. Cancer screening in small towns- how accessible and affordable is it? Everyone should have access. Cancer symptoms- how often are they being wrongly diagnosed as something less? Too often, symptoms are shrugged off and the end result is fatal. 

Those of us who have grown up in small towns will always have a piece of our hearts reserved for where we came from. Most of the people we knew growing up still have family living in these towns. Those of us from Jasper are seeing our friends and classmates lose their mothers and fathers too early, most in their early 50s and 60s, due to aggressive cancers. It absolutely blows my mind and I, along with others, am convinced there has to be some sort of source being overlooked. I am angry that so many people I know are losing their family members way too soon.

One of my friends noted: "it recently occurred to me that the street I lived on for many years as an adult, has had 5 cases!!! 5 cancer cases in just over 5 years!! ON ONE STREET!!! Actually, that’s 5 cancer cases in only 4 houses. Both the current and past owner of one of those houses were diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, one of those women is no longer with us."

I, personally, can name off close to 50 people in this small town, population barely over 600, who have been fighting cancer. There are probably many others I don't know of, and even more undiagnosed. How many people do you know from this area with cancer? 

Why is this not alarming to more people? How many more people have to die? How many more generations will become sick and suffer before someone at least TRIES to find answers? I would rather be a voice and be wrong than say nothing and find out later I was right all along. 

It is way beyond coincidence at this point. I would love to know the info of those affected… birth dates, death dates, onset of cancer, typer of cancer, area they lived in, etc. SOMEONE needs to speak up before their children and grandchildren end up with the same fate.

If you visit https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ -- you can type in your zip code for local contaminants in the water supply. Mind you, these are LEGAL levels but legal does not mean SAFE. In fact, the legal levels for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years. In the last 20 years, hog barns have multiplied in this area and have easily had seepage into the ground and water supply- could this be the source? 

Is this cancer cluster linked to something completely different? Radon levels? A combination of factors? We need answers. We need someone to care about rural communities and the people who live in them. The most WONDERFUL people I have ever met live in this area and they deserve better. 

For now, I am looking for your support if you have had any of these same concerns. Together, we can be heard. In the meantime, I urge the community to look into ways to filter their tap water: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/water-filter-guide.php#findfilter Please be safe rather than sorry. Learn more about contacting local officials: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/contact-local-government.php; https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clusters/default.htm