The Bioneers is a podcast series that platforms and celebrates scientific and social solutions to restore people and the planet. This episode is about the work, research, and activism of Sandra Steingraber in the fight against pervasive pesticide use and chemical dependency. Steingraber is an American biologist, ecologist, poet, mother, author, and activist. She is also a survivor of bladder cancer, a diagnosis she received as a 20 year old college student. She advocates for the adoption of a rights-based environmental justice framework in order to fight against both toxicity and injustice. She describes the idea of ‘chemical trespass,’ the concept that in modern chemical-filled American society, people are not safe from chemicals at home, work, or even within their own bodies. She emphasizes how the link between carcinogens and the environment is still largely missing from the conversation around cancer and medical health care. Bladder cancer is a quintessential ‘environmental cancer.’ Steingraber grew up in a region with statistically elevated cancer risk due to the industrial pollution lining the Illinois river. Such toxins and carcinogens bioaccumulate, building up in our bodies over time and leading to health complications. Federal laws are falling behind chemical science, with chemical compounds still found in common plastics linked to cancer, obesity, hyperactivity, heart disease, and infertility—and disproportionately harming communities of color and low-income communities. This episode shows how this public issue with personal consequences has motivated Steingraber to use biology and activism to fight for legislative reform and better chemical management systems.
