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WASHINGTON – According to a new peer-reviewed study by the Environmental Working Group, nitrate pollution from US drinking water could cause as many as 12,594 cancer cases per year.
For the groundbreaking study, published today in the journal Environmental researchScientists at the expert working group estimated the number of cancer cases in each state that could be attributed to contamination of public water systems by nitrates, mainly because of runoff from water. a farm containing fertilizer and manure. They also estimated that the processing costs of these cases could reach $ 1.5 billion a year.
"The contamination of drinking water by nitrates is a serious problem, and particularly serious in the country's agricultural country," said Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., senior science adviser of the EWG and l & rsquo; One of the authors of the study. "Now, for the first time, we can see the staggering consequences of this pollution."
The current federal standard for nitrate content in drinking water, established in 1962, is 10 parts per million, or ppm. Yet, several well-known epidemiological studies have linked the presence of nitrates in drinking water, cancer, and other serious health problems to concentrations less than one-tenth of the legal limit. Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency suspended its plan to re-evaluate its obsolete nitrate standard.
Four-fifths of the cases estimated by the EWG were cases of colorectal cancer, with ovarian, thyroid, kidney and bladder cancers constituting the remainder. Nitrates in tap water have also been badociated with serious neonatal health problems. The expert working group estimated that nitrate pollution could be responsible for 2,939 cases of low birth weight; 1,725 cases of very premature birth; and 41 cases of neural tube defects.
"Millions of Americans are involuntarily exposed to nitrates, and they are also the ones who pay the high costs of treating contaminated tap water," said Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., a toxicologist at the University of Toronto. the EWG and lead author of the study. "But the federal government is not doing enough to protect Americans from the contamination of tap water."
The eWG scientists believe that the level at which no nitrate in drinking water would cause adverse health effects would be 0.14 milligrams per liter, equivalent to one part per million. . This level, 70 times lower than the legal limit of the EPA, represents a one in a million cancer risk.
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The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that allows people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique educational tools, EWG encourages consumers to choose and take civic action. Visit http: // www.
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