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Table 2 Health damage from drinking water nitrate related colon cancer

From: Estimation of incidence and social cost of colon cancer due to nitrate in drinking water in the EU: a tentative cost-benefit assessment

 

Total population exposed to >25 mg/L NO3

Total incidence of colon cancer (1993-1997)

Additional colon cancer cases due to nitrate per year

Total number of lost healthy life years

Total number of lost life years from premature death

Monetary value of loss of (healthy) life years

Unit health damage cost from N-leaching agricultural land

 

%

x1000

x1000

x1000

x1000

million euro/year

euro/capita

euro/kg

Austria

8.8

2.5

0.1

0.5

0.4

23

2.9

1.9

Belgium

3.1

3.7

0.1

0.5

0.4

23

2.2

2.4

Denmark

16.2

2.0

0.2

0.8

0.6

35

6.6

0.6

Finland

3.4

1.2

0.0

0.1

0.1

4

0.9

0.8

France

9.7

19.8

1.0

4.7

3.6

202

3.4

0.6

Germany

8.9

42.0

1.9

9.1

7.1

393

4.8

1.4

Ireland

2.8

1.1

0.0

0.1

0.1

3

0.9

0.1

Italy

6.8

28.3

1.0

4.7

3.6

202

3.5

1.9

Netherlands

3.5

5.5

0.1

0.5

0.4

20

1.3

0.2

Spain

3.8

12.6

0.2

1.2

0.9

51

1.3

0.4

UK

2.0

20.4

0.2

1.0

0.8

43

0.7

0.2

EU11

6.5

139

5

23

18

1000

2.9

0.7

  1. Increased incidence of colon cancer due to nitrate in drinking water from groundwater, the associated loss of healthy life years and loss of life due to premature death and the monetary valuation of this loss for 11 EU member states (population 345 million).