While the ready availability of relatively inexpensive commercial fertilizers has played a key role in creating the agricultural bounty our country enjoys today, they can also be a major source of nitrate contamination in ground and surface water, if not applied correctly. Nitrate levels exceeding the U.S. public health standard of 10 ppm (parts per million) nitrate-nitrogen have been found in many drinking water wells, especially in agricultural areas. This is of nationwide importance since 50% of all U.S. residents and 90% of all rural homes use ground water as the drinking water source.
Elevated nitrate levels can pose a risk to infants. Babies under six months of age are particularly susceptible to health problems from high nitrate-nitrogen levels, resulting in the condition known as methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome). There is very preliminary evidence that suggests that nitrate can also affect adults at levels in the range of 100 to 200 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, but the evidence is much less certain. Young livestock are also susceptible to high nitrate-nitrogen levels, where levels of 20 to 40 ppm can be harmful. This may be exacerbated when combined with the high nitrate levels (1,000 ppm) in some feed sources.
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