Nitrate in drinking water linked to preterm birth rates, reports research
Even low levels of nitrate-a common agricultural runoff and drinking water contaminant-are associated with increased risks of preterm birth and low birthweight babies, according to a new study published June 25 in PLOS Water by Jason Semprini of Des Moines University College of Health Sciences, US.
Nitrate is a naturally occurring compound increasingly found in inorganic fertilizers and, through runoff, in groundwater. When consumed by humans, nitrates can interfere with the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen. Since 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a maximum contaminant level for water-based nitrate at 10mg/L.
To evaluate possible reproductive risks, Semprini analyzed 357,741 birth records from Iowa spanning 1970 to 1988, linking each birth to county-level nitrate measurements taken within 30 days of conception. During the study period, nitrate levels rose an average of 8% per year, with a mean exposure of 4.2 mg/L.
After controlling for maternal and paternal characteristics as well as seasonal variation, the study found that early prenatal exposure to greater than 0.1mg/L nitrate-just 1% of the current EPA limit-was associated with an increase in preterm birth (Est.=+0.66%-points; C.I.=0.31, 1.01) and early prenatal exposure to greater than 5mg/L nitrate was associated with an increased risk of low birth weight babies (Est.=+0.33%-points; C.I.=0.03, 0.63). There were no additional risks conferred by exposure to elevated levels of nitrate, above 10 mg/L.
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