Although meat and vegetable products contain higher concentrations of nitrate, drinking water is the fastest and most direct form of nitrate consumption by the population. It becomes contaminated with nitrates when sea water infiltrates fresh water aquifers and when rain and irrigation water wash through soils that have been excessively treated with nitrated fertilizers. Nitrates are of great toxicological interest as they are involved in the origin of nitrites and nitrosamines and the development of metahaemoglobinaemia in infants. The objective of this study was to determine the quantities of NO(3)(-) in the water supply of each of the Island's municipalities and in the leading brands of bottled waters consumed by the population of Tenerife. This parameter is necessary for the determination of Acceptable Daily Intake (A.D.I.) of nitrates from drinking water. With one unremarkable exception, the nitrate levels found in the water analyzed were optimum for human consumption and amply complied with current European Legislation.
Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.