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Table 1 Potential health hazards linked to nitrates in drinking water and frequency of mention in five years of media items (n = 317)

From: The potential human health hazard of nitrates in drinking water: a media discourse analysis in a high-income country

Potential health hazards specified

Frequencya

%

Colorectal cancer (or “bowel cancer”)

46

14.5

Methemoglobinemia (or “blue baby syndrome”)

23

7.3

Preterm birth

10

3.2

Birth defects (or “neural tube defects” or “congenital abnormalities”)

6

1.9

Other forms of cancer (or unspecified form of cancer)

6

1.9

Low birth weight

4

1.3

Cardiovascular diseaseb

1

0.3

Thyroid diseaseb

1

0.3

  1. aEach health hazard was only counted once per media item. However, a media item could mention multiple health hazards or could relate nitrate in drinking water to a potential human health hazard but not actually specify the hazard
  2. bThe peer-reviewed literature suggests potential associations between nitrate ingestion and cardiovascular disease and thyroid disease [26]
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Environmental Health

ISSN: 1476-069X