Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Regulation of Food Contamination with Radioactive Caesiums within a Year after the Fukushima Accident: The Cases of Vegetables and Rice

Abstract

The values for cost per life-year saved (CPLYS) are estimated for the regulations of vegetables and rice contaminated with radioactive caesiums released by the Fukushima daiichi nuclear accident in 2011. The estimation is based on an exposure coefficient, 1.6×10^-8 years of loss of life-expectancy per becquerel of radioactive caesiums, and on the economic values lost by the prohibition of the distribution of contaminated agricultural products. The estimated values for CPLYS are 6.6 to 8.0 million yen and 23 to 51 million yen for the vegetables in March and April respectively, but up to 1.0 billion yen for rice. The latter value is much larger than the value of a life-year saved, which is estimated to be 20 million yen.