• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Friday, August 1, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Cancer

Millions of Americans exposed to elevated nitrate levels in drinking water

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
January 17, 2019
in Cancer
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Analysis shows Hispanic communities are disproportionately exposed

Newton, Mass. (January 17, 2019) – More than 5.6 million Americans are potentially exposed to nitrate in drinking water at levels that could cause health problems, according to a new study. In this first analysis of its kind, researchers found that water systems with higher nitrate levels also tend to serve communities with higher proportions of Hispanic residents. The findings add to growing concern about the quality of drinking water in the United States and the disproportionate impact of contamination on vulnerable populations.

“Since the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, there’s been a real push to document other types of disparities in drinking water quality in the U.S. and understand the factors that drive them,” says Dr. Laurel Schaider, the study’s lead author and an environmental chemist at Silent Spring Institute. “Because at the end of the day, everyone should have access to clean and safe drinking water regardless of your race or where you live.”

Nitrate is a drinking water contaminant that can originate from multiple sources including fertilizers, sewage treatment systems, and animal manure. Using information obtained from state agencies and online databases, Schaider and her colleagues at Silent Spring Institute and Environmental Working Group (EWG) compiled nitrate data for 39,466 public water systems serving more than 70 percent of the U.S. population. For each water system, the team noted the number of people served by the system and the source of drinking water, whether from groundwater or surface water.

Reporting in the journal Environmental Health, the researchers found 1,647 public water systems, providing drinking water for more than 5.6 million Americans, had an average nitrate concentration at or above 5 mg/L (or 5 parts per million (ppm)), with the highest proportion of high nitrate water systems found in the West and Midwest.

Currently, EPA’s drinking water standard for nitrate is 10 ppm. That level is set in order to protect infants from a potentially fatal condition known as “blue baby syndrome,” a decrease in the ability of blood to carry oxygen around the body. However, recent studies suggest exposure at levels as low as 5 ppm is also associated with several cancers and birth defects, raising the possibility that EPA’s water standard is not sufficiently protective of health.

“Nitrate is also a good marker for the presence of other contaminants in drinking water,” says Schaider. In previous research, Schaider and her colleagues found pharmaceuticals and consumer product chemicals in drinking water with nitrate levels above 1 ppm. Water with higher nitrate concentrations tended to have higher concentrations of these contaminants.

To investigate whether low-income communities or communities of color are exposed to higher nitrate levels in their drinking water, the researchers linked the water system data with information from the U.S. Census Bureau on race, ethnicity, poverty, home ownership, and the proportion of households in urban areas. They also looked at agricultural data including the percent of land used for growing crops and the amount of livestock, since agriculture is a major source of nitrate pollution.

The analysis showed that as the proportion of Hispanic residents increases, so does the likelihood that their drinking water will contain nitrate levels over 5 ppm. The researchers observed the same relationship even after accounting for agricultural land use. In other words, despite the fact that a large percentage of farmworkers are Hispanic, living in an area with lots of farms is not the only underlying factor, suggesting that other influences are contributing to higher exposures as well.

It’s unclear at this point what these influences might be, says Schaider. Living close to other sources of nitrate pollution such as a sewage treatment plant is one potential risk factor, she says. Being served by a small water system is another, as smaller water systems tend to lack the resources needed to address contamination. Language barriers might also make it challenging for communities seeking support for improving their drinking water quality.

“If that’s the case, then it suggests government programs could to a better job at helping to improve water quality in minority communities,” says Schaider.

###

Funding for this project was provided by a grant from the Casey & Family Foundation and charitable donations to Silent Spring Institute.

Reference: Schaider, L.A., L.R. Swetschinski, C. Campbell, R.A. Rudel. 2019. “Environmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water?” Environmental Health. DOI: 10.1186/s12940-018-0442-6

About Silent Spring Institute:

Silent Spring Institute, located in Newton, Mass., is the leading scientific research organization dedicated to uncovering the link between chemicals in our everyday environments and women’s health, with a focus on breast cancer prevention. Founded in 1994, the institute is developing innovative tools to accelerate the transition to safer chemicals, while translating its science into policies that protect health. Visit us at http://www.silentspring.org and follow us on Twitter @SilentSpringIns

Media Contact
Alexandra Goho
[email protected]
617-332-4288 x232

Related Journal Article

https://silentspring.org/research-update/millions-americans-exposed-elevated-nitrate-levels-drinking-water
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0442-6

Tags: AgriculturecancerCarcinogensEnvironmental HealthHydrology/Water ResourcesMedicine/HealthPollution/RemediationPublic HealthToxicology
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Moffitt Cancer Center Initiates Study to Enhance Advanced Lung Cancer Outcomes in Black Patients

August 1, 2025
Breakthrough in Melanoma Guidance System Offers New Hope to Halt Metastasis

Breakthrough in Melanoma Guidance System Offers New Hope to Halt Metastasis

August 1, 2025

Scientists Uncover How Leukemia Virus Remains Dormant in the Body – Paving the Way for Future Therapies

August 1, 2025

Final Clinical Trial Results Published for Advanced Kidney Cancer Therapy

August 1, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Blind to the Burn

    Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    46 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 12
  • Study Reveals Beta-HPV Directly Causes Skin Cancer in Immunocompromised Individuals

    37 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 9
  • Sustainability Accelerator Chooses 41 Promising Projects Poised for Rapid Scale-Up

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Revolutionary AI Technology Paves the Way for Innovative Materials to Replace Lithium-Ion Batteries

Rising Use of Cannabis for Chronic Health Issues Amid Ongoing Uncertainty

Moffitt Cancer Center Initiates Study to Enhance Advanced Lung Cancer Outcomes in Black Patients

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.