Sandra Steingraber facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandra Steingraber
Steingraber in 2008
Born	1959 Tazewell County, Illinois, United States
Occupation	Biologist, science writer
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Period	1996–present
Subject	Ecology, cancer, fertility, pregnancy, toxicology
Notable works	Living Downstream

Sandra Steingraber (born 1959) is an American biologist and author. She is also a cancer survivor. Sandra Steingraber writes and gives talks about how our environment can affect health problems. She focuses on how the environment might be linked to cancer.

Early Life and Education

Sandra Steingraber was adopted when she was a baby. She grew up in Tazewell County, Illinois. Her mother was a microbiologist, who studies tiny living things. Her father was a college professor. Her parents taught her about sustainable development and organic agriculture from a young age. This means they taught her about farming without harmful chemicals and living in a way that protects the Earth for the future.

When she was in her 20s, Sandra Steingraber had bladder cancer. In some of her books, she talks about how several people in her hometown and family seemed to get cancer. This is sometimes called a "cancer cluster."

After her cancer got better, Sandra finished her college degree in biology at Illinois Wesleyan University. She worked as a researcher for several years. Later, she earned her advanced degree in biology from the University of Michigan. She also has a master's degree in English from Illinois State University.

Career and Work

Sandra Steingraber has taught at Cornell University. She is also a special visiting scholar at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. She has been a visiting expert at other universities like the University of Illinois and Northeastern University. She also helped on a national plan about breast cancer for President Bill Clinton.

Environmental Activism

Living Downstream Book

In her 1997 book, Living Downstream, Sandra Steingraber shares stories and facts about pollution. She combines information about industrial and farm pollution with scientific data. This helps her explain the connection between environmental factors and cancer.

Steingraber believes that not enough money is spent on studying how the environment causes cancer. She thinks too much is spent on studying genes. Her book says that while we cannot change our genes, we can do a lot to reduce our exposure to things that cause cancer in the environment.

Her book Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment is similar to Rachel Carson's famous book, Silent Spring. Rachel Carson's book also looked at how cancer is linked to the environment. Steingraber highlights how chemical pesticides can get into human bodies. She explains that even if pollution levels are within legal limits, harmful chemicals can still be found in people's bodies.

She wrote:

"To the 89 percent of Illinois that is farmland, an estimated 54 million pounds of synthetic pesticides are applied each year. Introduced into Illinois at the end of World War II, these chemical poisons quietly familiarized themselves with the landscape. In 1950, less than 10 percent of cornfields were sprayed with pesticides. In 1993, 99 percent were chemically treated," (page 5).

Living Downstream was also made into a documentary film. The film shows Sandra Steingraber's journey as a cancer survivor. It also highlights her work as an ecologist and activist for cancer prevention.

Protecting the Environment

Sandra Steingraber is also known for her activism. In 2013, she joined other protesters to block an entrance to a natural gas facility near Ithaca, New York. They were protesting the industrial growth around the Finger Lakes area. She was later released after serving time.

In 2014, she was part of another protest called We Are Seneca Lake. She and other protesters blocked a chemical truck. She wrote an article called "Why I am in Jail" about her experience.

Unfractured Documentary

Sandra Steingraber was the main subject of a 2018 documentary film called Unfractured. This film explores her work and activism.

Personal Life

Sandra Steingraber lives in Trumansburg, New York. She lives with her husband, Jeff de Castro, who is a sculptor. They have two children.

Awards and Honors

Sandra Steingraber has received many awards for her important work:

• 1997 – Named a Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year.
• 1998 – Received the first Altman Award for her "inspiring and poetic use of science to explain the causes of cancer."
• 1998 – Won the Will Solimene Award for "excellence in medical communication."
• 1999 – The Sierra Club called Steingraber "the new Rachel Carson."
• 2001 – Received the Rachel Carson Leadership Award from Chatham College, Rachel Carson's old school.
• 2006 – Received the Breast Cancer Fund's "Hero Award" for helping to find and stop environmental causes of breast cancer.
• 2008 – Given an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Lycoming College.
• 2010 – Named one of the "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World" by Utne Reader magazine.
• 2012 – Received the 17th Annual Heinz Award for her work on the environment.
• 2013 – Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry.
• 2015 – Received the American Ethical Union's Elliott-Black Award for "protecting our planet and informing others on how to get active."
• 2015 – Received Breast Cancer Action's "Barbara Brenner Hell Raiser Award" for showing the links between toxic chemicals and breast cancer.