HistoryofWaterFilters.com   The Past, Present, and Future of Water Filtration Technology
      The History of Water Filters  |   Water Treatment Alternatives  |   How Safe is Your Drinking Water?
      How Safe is Your Drinking Water?  >  Contaminants Resulting from Agriculture or Industry  >  Nitrate

Contaminants Resulting from Agriculture or Industry - Nitrate

Nitrate is a common contaminant of drinking water closely associated with agricultural activities. Nitrate in groundwater results primarily from fertilizer use (Gustafson, 1993). Fertilizer nitrogen that is not taken up by plants can leach its way into the soil in the form of nitrate. Nitrate (NO3) is a chemical ion, formed of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms. Nitrate, in itself, is not normally dangerous to the human body except when it loses an oxygen atom, reducing to nitrite (NO2).

Nitrate in drinking water is particularly dangerous to infants and small children. In proportion to their body weight, infants consume a much larger amount of water than older children and adults. Also, a baby’s immature digestive system facilitates the reduction of nitrate to nitrite much more easily than a mature, adult digestive tract. Nitrate ingestion, at or exceeding the MCL of 10 milligrams per liter, can lead to a disease called methemoglobinemia in infants. This disease occurs when reduced nitrite ions react with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin. This altered form of the blood protein is unable to carry oxygen to the body’s systems, leading to asphyxia in severe cases (Gustafson, 1993). Though, methemoglobinemia, as a result of nitrate-contaminated drinking water, usually occurs only in infants, women who are pregnant can be vulnerable to the disease, as well.

Nitrate, when contained in drinking water in extreme levels (100-200 mg/l), can also cause cancer. Such high levels of nitrate can react with protein compounds in the body to form nitrosamine, a well-documented, cancer-causing agent. The main danger of nitrate is to infants less than six months old.

Previous Page    Next page
How Safe is Your Drinking Water?
Introduction - The Value of Drinking Water
Groundwater and Surface Water
Herbicides and Insecticides - History & Occurrence
Herbicides and Insecticides - Specific Chemicals and Health Effects
Nitrate
Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs)
Chlorine
Chlorine Byproducts
Fluoride - Recent Discoveries
Fluoride - Adverse Health Effects
Lead
Mercury and Arsenic
Bacteria and Viruses
Protozoa
Human and Animal Feces
Conclusion - The Importance of Drinking Filtered Water
References
 
Site Map   |    Resources   |    Contact Us
Copyright © 2004-2010 Historyof Water Filters.com