Nitrate

Ingesting too much nitrate can impair oxygen transport in the blood and cause methaemoglobinaemia in infants.

Sources of exposure
Nitrates and nitrites are compounds that are formed naturally when nitrogen combines with oxygen or ozone. Nitrogen is essential for life. At the same time, nitrates are the most important source of nitrogen for plants.

Vegetables and fruit contain on average 80 % of the nitrates that are good for humans. Especially if these products contain a lot of vitamin C. Because that helps prevent nitrates from being converted into the more harmful ones. Sausage, bacon and hot dogs are also a source of nitrates.

Nitrates can also occur in drinking water. In excessive concentrations, nitrates in drinking water can pose a health risk, especially for infants and pregnant women.

Elevated nitrate levels in groundwater come from runoff of nitrogen fertilisers, sewage treatment plants, wastewater from sewage treatment, animal waste and industrial waste. In the last 50 years, the amount of nitrogen in the soil has doubled.

Both municipal water and well water can be contaminated, especially if the facility is improperly constructed or lacks a treatment plant. Well water can be more susceptible to contamination after flooding, especially if the wells have been under water for a long time.

Possible effects on health

Taking too much nitrate can be detrimental to health:
- Oxygen transport in the blood of babies up to six months of age.
- Nausea (stomach upset)
- Diarrhoea
- vomiting
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Breathing problems and eventually muscle paralysis
- Prenatal problems, birth defects and a wide range of health disorders

High nitrate levels can pose a serious health risk to infants and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

While adults ingest more nitrates through food, infants are more at risk through drinking water; they ingest most of their food in liquid form. Of concern is the exposure of bottle-fed infants whose formula is prepared with drinking water containing nitrates. Nitrates may impair the blood's ability to transport oxygen.

Pregnant women may tolerate nitrates less well. Furthermore, nitrates consumed by nursing mothers can directly affect infants. Therefore, pregnant women or nursing mothers should avoid water with a nitrate content of more than 10 ppm.

If you are exposed to elevated nitrate levels for a short period of time, you may experience nausea (stomach upset), diarrhoea, vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, breathing problems and/or muscle paralysis.

The long-term effects on health have not yet been precisely researched. Initial studies suggest that it can lead to prenatal problems, birth defects and other health disorders.

Source:
https://waterfiltercrock.com/nitrates-in-drinking-water/