Abstract:
A study of the incidence of various types of human cancer in relation to nitrate concentrations in Sri Lanka
revealed a significant positive correlation for stomach, small intestine, oesophagus and liver cancers, as
well as total malignant cancer incidence and benign tumours. The Northern and Western Provinces of Sri
Lanka showed the highest total cancer rate. The abundance of nitrates in the groundwater of certain
provinces of Sri Lanka has been attributed to use of nitrogeneous fertilizers, human and animal wastes in
densely populated regions and nitrates produced as result of atmospheric electric discharges and
precipitation. Even though the correlation of nitrate abundance and cancer rates is significant, nitrate
cannot necessarily be considered as being causative in view of the biological intricacies involved in the
complicated mechanism of cancer inducement.
