In St. Paul, the Senate Environment Committee hosted an oversight hearing regarding the environmental and health impacts of nitrates on Tuesday. Retired Mayo physician Dr. Aleta Borrud testified about health risks.“The risk for cancer, as I think you saw in the one study that I showed you that came from four different sources of U.S. data, showed that in the areas where we are growing corn in particular, all over the Midwest, there’s an increase in colon cancer, which has by far the strongest association with nitrate pollution.” State Senator Steve Green of Fosston said studies are often done for a specific purpose. He cited a study conducted in the Pine Sands Aquifer at Park Rapids. “When you dig into that study, what you found was they tested one well in an old abandoned feedlot, and that’s where they got their nitrogen level in that area; it had nothing to do with the rest of the aquifer and so that’s why I’m suspicious,” said Green. ” As far as the nitrogen on the farmlands, if you look at it, nitrogen is very expensive. They certainly don’t put on more than they need because it would be very much prohibited by the cost.”
