Thirty years ago, ecologist Sandra Steingraber was a biology student, hoping to be a doctor. But when she was diagnosed with bladder cancer at age 20, her interests shifted from medicine to
the environment.
Tonight, Steingraber will speak at Ohio University about her research on environmental links to cancer and human health as part of the Kennedy Lecture Series.
Steingraber is a distinguished visiting scholar at Ithica College and the author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood.
The Post's Anna Sudar spoke with Steingraber about science writing, her upcoming documentary and the power of
college students.
The Post: What brought you to OU and what will you be talking about?
Sandra Steingraber: The main talk I'll give is going to focus on what's happened to me in the 30 years (since my diagnosis). ... (I) was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which turns out to be a quintessential environmental cancer ...
Post: How did you begin your work looking at environmental factors and cancer?
Steingraber: My personal experience was a starting point. I'm also an adoptee and there's a lot of cancer in my adopted family. ... It made me realize there's a presumption that what runs in families runs in genes and I was aware that families have a lot more in common than just chromosomes. We also often have environments in common. ... I really became inspired by the women's cancer movement which (in the early '90s) was being radicalized to take a look at environmental causes of cancer. ... I became really inspired by that and left my tenure track biology job to work as a writer ...
Post: Can you talk about the progress your work has helped make?
Steingraber: Living Downstream has been optioned for a documentary film ... that will be coming out next year. ... The movie will have a different effect than the book because a lot of ... poor working class communities tend to be places that are at the receiving end of a lot of toxic contamination ...They also tend not to be places where people get their information through books ... so I think the movie will be a better vehicle...
Post: What can students do to get involved with environmentalism?
Steingraber: My message to students is to figure out what it is that you are really interested in doing and marry that with an environmental issue ... basically any career you can imagine has a link to the environment ...
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Anna Sudar
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Sandra Steingraber will speak tonight at Ohio University about her research on environmental links to cancer and human health. Her experience with bladder cancer will contribute greatly to the lecture. (Provided Photo)
