New research: Nitrate contamination in drinking water and adverse reproductive and birth outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Exposure to low levels of nitrate in drinking water may have adverse reproductive effects. We reviewed evidence about the association between nitrate in drinking water and adverse reproductive outcomes published to November 2022. … Nitrogen is very important for plant nutrition and growth, being incorporated by plants into amino acid synthesis, and is therefore commonly used in inorganic fertilizers. However, because nitrate is highly water soluble, it leaches through soils and into groundwater very easily, particularly after heavy rainfall. … The increasing use of artificial fertilizers, the disposal of wastes, particularly from animal farming, and changes in land use have become significant contributors to the progressive increase in nitrate levels in groundwater supplies.