Citation

Houser C, Arbex M, Trudeau C. Ocean Coastal Manage. 2021; 212: e105847.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105847

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Surf-related drowning fatalities in the Great Lakes Region of North America is an emerging but underestimated public health issue. The relatively high proportion of drownings in the region have been attributed to a lack of beach safety education programs and lifeguard resources in the region. Using data collected by the Great Lakes Beach Safety Project, this study estimates the long-term economic impact of surf-related drownings based on the Value of a Statistical Life Year (VSLY). Not including the cost of hospitalizations and emergency services, surf-related drownings on the Great Lakes has an average economic burden of ~$105 million per year (USD). The total economic burden of surf-related drowning fatalities between 2011 and 2020 is over $1.1 billion (USD), which can be used to determine the net benefit of educational programming and lifeguard programs in the region.

Language: en

Keywords

Drowning; Economic impact; Great lakes; Surf