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Nitrate in the News

Nitrate News -- June, 2000

Groundwater Quality Deteriorating (Vital Signs 2000, by Payal Sampat, pp. 124-125, World Watch Institute) Among the selected chemical threats to groundwater in the world, Nitrate is listed as number 2 just after pesticides. Nitrate accumulates in groundwater from fertilizer runoff, manure from livestock operations and septic tanks, according to the report. The impact on health of humans results from restricted amounts of oxygen reaching the brain and can cause death for infants, which is called "blue baby syndrome" or methemoglobinemia. Nitrate also impacts the health of the pregnant women, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and anyone already in poor health. Nitrate pollution of drinking water obtained from private wells is often accompanied by contamination with bacteria, which may be lethal. According to this report, the groundwater is becoming more polluted with nitrate in the Mid-Atlantic US, Northern China plains, Western Europe, and Northern India. For more information on the impact of nitrate impacts on health and global ecosystems see: Nitrate & Your Health

Fertilizer Use Down (Vital Signs 2000, by Lester R. Brown, pp. 46-47, World Watch Institute) Worldwide fertilizer usage peaked in 1989 in terms of total millions of tons at 146 after an almost continuous increase since 1950. The decline was reversed in 1996 and may have reached a peak again in 1998 at 137 million tons since the estimated usage for 1999 is 134 million tons. On the other hand, the fertilizer usage per person has remained rather steady since 1993 with a mean value of 22.4 +/- 0.7 kilograms per person, with the estimated value for 1999 being 22.3 kg per person. From the data presented in this report, it is clear that fertilizer use has kept pace with population growth for the past 25 years with the average fertilizer use per person being 24.2 +/- 2.2 (standard deviation for n = 25; ie. 1974 to 1999). While fertilizer use in the US leveled off about 1980 and remained steady about 20 million tons per year and declined dramatically in the former Soviet Union to about 5 million tons, there has been a steady increase in China and India. The most obvious conclusion from these data is that fertilizer use, on average, will remain constant on a per capita basis as the world population grows unless more efficient fertilizer usage is incorporated into agricultural practices. The greatest problem with current fertilizer practices is that the plant nutrients are applied to the soil in excess which results in water pollution with these nutrients. Nutrient pollution has become a disaster for ecosystems of the world, especially in major rivers and many estuaries. For example, the "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico near the US coast is caused by excess Nitrate which results in rapid growth of algae. When the algae die, the water is depleted of oxygen as the algae rot and are consumed by bacteria. This drives the fish out of this region of the Gulf and kills all the animals which can not escape the oxygen deficient waters. (See other reports in Nitrate in the News on The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone and other problems resulting from excess nutrient runoff).

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