Agricultural Contamination of Groundwater as a Possible Risk Factor for Growth Restriction or Prematurity

Abstract

Agricultural activity on Prince Edward Island poses a potential hazard to groundwater, which is the sole source of drinking water on the island. This study investigates the potential impact of groundwater nitrate exposure on prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction on Prince Edward Island. A total of 210 intrauterine growth restriction cases, 336 premature births, and 4098 controls were abstracted from a database of all Island births. An ecological measure of groundwater nitrate level was used to gauge potential exposure to agriculturally contaminated drinking water. The higher nitrate exposure categories were positively associated with intrauterine growth restriction and prematurity, and significant dose-response trends were seen, even after adjustment for several important covariates. Nevertheless, these risks must be interpreted cautiously because of the ecological nature of this exposure metric. An investigation using nitrate levels for individual study subjects is needed to confirm this association.

A Review of Nitrates in Drinking Water: Maternal Exposure and Adverse Reproductive and Developmental Outcomes

“…Bukowski et al (2001) found a significant relationship between IUGR and higher nitrate levels. Using the lowest exposure category (median level of ≤ 1.3 mg/L nitrate–N) as the comparison group, an adjusted OR showed an excess risk for higher exposure categories with median levels 3.1 mg/L (OR = 2.31; 95% CI, 1.47–3.64) and 4.3 mg/L (OR = 2.56; 95% CI, 1.44–4.45).…”

“…Bukowski et al (2001) conducted a population-based case–control study on singleton births that occurred from 1991 through 1994 to mothers who resided in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and who used municipal and private water systems. The study examined the potential impact of groundwater nitrate exposure on prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).…”

“…The study subject was assigned to an exposure group on the basis of the mother’s residential address at the time of delivery. The RCP database provided additional data including demographics, lifestyle, health, and reproductive history (Bukowski et al 2001). …”

A sensitive fluorimetric method for determination of trace amounts of nitrite based on luminescence energy transfer

“…Nitrite is also undesirable in water owing to its toxicity. Epidemiologic studies have shown that nitrite ion exposure in drinking water would cause some medical issues including spontaneous abortions, intrauterine growth restriction, and birth defects of the central nervous system [4][5][6][7][8]. Therefore, its determination at trace level is of special interest.…”

The effects of taking chronic nitrate by drinking water on thyroid functions and morphology

“…The finding of nitrate and nitrites in drinking water is an indicator of pollution. Excessive intake of nitrate not only leads to methaemoglobinaemia, but also another negative and undesirable effects such as cancer formation, differences in vitamin A metabolism, and growth and developmental disorders [5,6]. Although nitrate is not as powerful a goitrogenic substance as thiocynate and perchlorate, which mainly inhibit the accumulation of iodide in the thyroid gland [7], it may cause malfunction of the thyroid.…”