It looks like any other county road in rural America, but a two-mile dirt road in Minnesota could be one of the deadliest cancer hotspots in the country.
All four homes in the two-mile stretch along County Road B in Dodge County have been struck by the disease, with the area now so notorious that other locals call it “Cancer Road.”
Since the 1980s, fifteen people have been diagnosed with tumors, often rarer and more aggressive forms, seven of whom died.
One of the victims – truck driver Brian Bennerotte – claims he developed a cancerous mass “the size of a basketball” that wrapped around his heart.
Experts have described the disease’s concentration as “eyebrow-raising.”
Mr Bennerotte told : “We believe this was caused by the drinking water and then by the nitrates in the water. “That’s our sense of what caused this spiral in cancer cases. “There is cancer in every family.”
The above shows County Road B in Dodge County, Minnesota. It is a peaceful stretch of road but has been plagued by a number of cancer cases
Brian Bennerotte, who grew up on the streets, lost his father and three of his five brothers to cancer. He, his other brother and sister were also diagnosed with cancer, but all survived the disease. He had a tumor the size of a basketball around his heart, the Star Tribune reported
Scott Glarner (pictured above in the post office) also lived on the county road. He later developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, while his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer
County Road B is pictured above. The Minnesota Department of Health said the reports were the first time they had become aware of the cluster of cases
County Road B runs through a large agricultural area, and residents along the road blame the increase in cancer cases on commercial fertilizers used on farms.
Tests of the area’s water conducted by Dodge County officials show the water has high levels of nitrates – tiny chemical compounds linked to cancer.
However, the Minnesota Department of Health says the residents’ recent claims are the first time it has been made aware of the situation.
A spokesman said cancer rates throughout Dodge County are no higher than the state average.
Mr Bennerotte, whose family once owned and operated a farm in County B, told environmental news website Circle of Blue: “Every family here was affected. ‘Everyone.’
Now 60, Mr. Bennerotte says he has seen five members of his family die of cancer – three of his brothers, his father and his eldest brother’s wife.
His father, Howard, died in 1983 at the age of 64 after suffering from kidney cancer.
After his father’s death, Mr. Bennerotte’s eldest brother, Chuck, took over management of the family farm, but died of bone cancer in 2000 at the age of 64. His wife Joanne died of cancer 15 years later.
A second brother, Gary, was diagnosed with colon cancer, which led to his death in 2006 at the age of 65. Gary was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the early 2000s, Mr Bennerotte said, adding that his death was caused by a combination of these two diseases.
A third brother, Wesley, died in 2019 after a brief battle with leukemia – a type of blood cancer.
Mr Bennerotte said himself, his sister Myrna and his other brother Stuart had also been diagnosed with cancer.
Myrna was diagnosed with cancer in her tear ducts and Stuart was diagnosed with a benign tumor in his pancreas in 2003, when he was 57. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is currently undergoing treatment.
Doctors diagnosed Mr Bennerotte with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma – or a type of cancer of the white blood cells – when he was 20, which he said had caused a tumor to form around his heart.
Doctors treated the tumor with high doses of radiation and chemotherapy, but they also caused permanent damage to his lungs and heart.
The truck driver is still in and out of the hospital due to the damage.
Pictured above are Joanne Bennerotte and Wesley Bennerotte. Joanne married into the family but died in 2012 after being diagnosed with bone cancer. Wesley, the second youngest, died in 2019 after being diagnosed with leukemia, a type of blood cancer
Pictured above are Audrey Serie (left) and LaVonne “Bonnie” Glarner. Audrey died of cancer in 2021 after living on the streets, while LaVonne was diagnosed with breast cancer in the mid-1970s. She survived and died of dementia in 2021
The above map from the US Geological Survey shows the risk of groundwater contamination with nitrates. It appears that an area of medium to high risk of contamination exists in southeastern Minnesota, where the road passes
Mr Bennerotte told : “I’ve had numerous medical emergencies since then.” Tomorrow, for example, I’m going to the Mayo Clinic for a heart valve replacement.
“The cancer weakened my immune system, my lung capacity and my heart.”
“Everything is more difficult to do.” When it comes to walking and breathing, there are numerous problems. Getting around can be a hassle from time to time and as I get older it seems to get worse.”
He blamed the cancer that struck him, his family and others on the streets on nitrates from fertilizers that leaked into the water supply.
Mr Bennerotte is calling for the legal limit for nitrates in water – 10 parts per million – to be lowered because of what happened to his family.
The limit was set in the 1970s after the emergence of “blue baby syndrome,” in which babies turned blue after being exposed to water containing nitrates.
This happened because the nitrates caused a lack of oxygen.
Research from the US Geological Survey shows that 22 percent of private wells in rural areas still exceed this safe nitrate limit.
Scientists are sounding the alarm about arsenic contamination from pesticides used
Scientists have sounded the alarm over another cancer-causing toxin contaminating food and water and posing an “urgent health threat”.
Arsenic, a metal that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, is used in pesticides and processes like cement production – but it is increasingly making its way into groundwater, where it ends up in drinking water wells.
Repeated exposure can damage DNA, weaken the immune system and lead to the formation of cancer cells, as well as high blood pressure and heart disease.
While the dangers of lead and PFAS contamination have received attention in recent years, scientists at Florida International University warn that arsenic is not receiving the same attention, even though it poses a similar health risk.
According to the Environmental Working Group, between 2017 and 2019, arsenic levels in drinking water were above the legal limit in 31 states.
A 2019 investigation by Consumer Reports even found that bottled water brands sold in America had arsenic levels above the legal limit – which is 10 parts per billion (ppb), according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Other studies involving several popular baby food brands also found arsenic levels above the legal limit. Some evidence suggests that this may lead to lower IQ scores in children.
Water tests conducted by Dodge County officials from the 1990s to 2011 on three of the farms also showed that two of them had nitrate levels above safe limits.
Scott Glarner, who also grew up on the streets but now works at the local post office, revealed that his family had also suffered from a cluster of cancer cases.
He said his mother, LaVonne “Bonnie” Glarner, was diagnosed with breast cancer in the mid-1970s at age 35 – much earlier than the average age of 50 and older.
She survived the illness but died in 2021 after being diagnosed with dementia.
Mr. Glarner was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system that helps drain fluid from the body, in 2006 at age 43.
He is now in remission, but said he still feels like a cancer “time bomb” because he is very afraid the disease could return.
On the cluster of cancer cases on the street, he said: “People have been talking about it.” People are asking, “What’s wrong with the water?” Because of all the cancer people have had on this street.”
Mr Glarner has already received payment from herbicide company RoundUp after it was revealed he was exposed to the cancer-causing chemical glyphosphate.
But like Mr. Bennerotte, he is convinced that nitrates played a role in the development of his illness.
He also calls for a lowering of the safe limit for nitrate levels. Both men are also calling on state and local authorities to take more action to protect residents’ health.
Dodge County — along with eight others in southeastern Minnesota — is the subject of a request from environmental groups to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take emergency action under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The groups say nitrate levels in the water are still too high, posing an “immediate and significant threat” to human health.
Several studies have also found a link between nitrates and a higher risk of cancers including colon, prostate and breast cancer, all of which were discovered on this road.
Paul Mathewson, science program director at Clean Wisconsin, said the cluster of cancers in the area with high nitrate levels is “startling.”
“There has been a lot of new research in the last decade that provides a strong and convincing argument that even at nitrate levels well below 10 parts per million, these increased risks exist.”
“Awareness needs to be raised. The science is out there.”
The fertilizer industry is fighting back: the trade organization Fertilizer Institute declared in 2017 that nitrates were not classified as carcinogenic by US authorities.
Locals in some cases blame commercial fertilizers for the increase, and some say pesticides may also play a role
The road passes near the town of Berne in rural Minnesota
The above shows the gravel County Road B in Minnesota where the falls are located
The Serie family, who also lived on the street, were also affected.
Her father, Larry, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1988 and did not survive, his daughter Lesa told the StarTribune.
His wife Audrey also reportedly died of cancer in 2021.
Also on the way was the Spreiter family, two members of whom are suffering from cancer.
Irene Spreiter was diagnosed with breast cancer, locals said, while her son Darren was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma aged 11. Both survived.
A woman named Christine Hachfel later moved to the same farm but was later diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Nitrate concentration data in Dodge County collected by Circle of Blue found that nitrate levels in Glarner’s drinking water were consistently 11 parts per million from 2002 to 2011 – above the safe limit.
The highest nitrate concentrations were found on the street at Spreiters-Brunnen in 2001 at 25 ppm.
Data showed that the Bennerotte well had a level of 8 ppm in 1990 and 7.1 ppm in 2013.