The Nitrate Elimination Co., Inc. (NECi)

Green Products for Sustainable Living

Unique Enzyme Products to Help Eliminate Nitrate Problems Worldwide

Nitrate:
Risks to Your Health

Recommended NECi
Products:

Nitrate Test Kits

Nitrate Reductase

Why Nitrogen is Essential to All Living Systems

Where Nitrate Pollution comes from...
 including runoff of Nutrients
to rivers, streams and estuaries

Nitrate as Crop Plant Nutrient: In order for plants to make complex nitrogen compounds, the plants need a supply of simple nitrogen compounds and most plants prefer nitrate over ammonium. So over the eons as agriculture has developed, man has applied fertilizer to crops to enhance their growth and productivity. Nitrogen fertilizers have been applied in very large amounts to field crops since the 1950's in the US and many other countries.

Over-fertilization Results in Nutrient Rich Run-Off: Since crop plants often can not utilize all the nitrogen applied to the fields, some is left in the soil and can leach into ground water. In addition, not all the applied nitrogen gets into deeper soil and some is washed off the fields in the form of runoff and it flows into surface waters such as streams and rivers. The runoff problem is often greatest when manure is used as a fertilizer, such as it is now in many sites in the US where large commercial farms are used to produce cattle, pigs and chickens and these companies provide the manure to farms who grow the feed for the animals.

What is Nitrate? Nitrate has the chemical formula NO₃^-. Nitrate represents the most oxidized chemical form of nitrogen found in natural systems. Nitrate is a negatively charged ion (anion) and so must be paired with a positively charged ion (cation) as in the salts potassium nitrate, KNO₃, or sodium nitrate, NaNO₃. Nitrate is one of the most water soluble anions known. The dictionary defines nitrate (noun) as a radical or ion with the chemical formula NO₃^- or a compound containing the nitrate ion as in salts or nitric acid (HNO₃).  Nitrate is also defined as fertilizer consisting of sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate. (see http://www.answers.com/nitrate)

The Nitrate Problem: Nitrate is a wide spread contaminant of ground and surface waters worldwide (1, 2). The accumulation of nitrate in the environment results mainly from:

• non-point source runoff from the over-application of nitrogen fertilizers;
• point-sources such as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs see http://www.lpes.org/CAFO.html, http://epa.gov/guide/cafo, &  http://www.factoryfarm.org):
•  and point-sources from poorly or untreated human sewage.

In addition, nitrate-containing wastes are produced by many industrial processes including paper and munitions manufacturing. Burning of fossil fuels in power plants and cars, SUVs and all internal combustion engines results in the production of nitric acid and ammonia as air pollution.

Acid-Rain and Atmospheric Dry Deposition of NITROGEN: While most of the sources of nitrogen pollution result in contamination of surface and ground waters, air-borne nitrogen pollution leads to acid rain in the mid-west and east coast regions of US where rain falls on a regular basis.  However, in the far-west, California, Colorado and other south-western states, where rainfall is rare, ammonium nitrate (combination of ammonia and nitric acid) is deposited in dry form (called dry deposition) on the plants and land.  Thus, when rain comes in these dry regions, the nitrogen, along with other nutrients, is flushed from the soils into streams, rivers and lakes, and eventually into the estuaries of the Pacific Ocean.  Furthermore, dry deposition may result in alteration of the natural flora and fauna of a region like coastal chaparral forests in California or high altitude lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes, Colo (for info on the National program for dry deposition monitoring see: http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/Monitoring/drymon.htm). For info on the extent of atmospheric deposition of nitrate and ammonium, see the National Atmospheric Deposition Program website: http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu

Risk to Human Health:  Nitrate is a potential human health threat especially to infants, causing the condition known as methemoglobinemia, also called "blue baby syndrome". Read about the impact of Nitrate in water used to make baby formula, on the infant. When Nitrate is taken in by eating food and drinking water,  Nitrate is converted in the gut to nitrite, which then combines with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin, thus decreasing the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Infants are more susceptible to nitrate toxicity than older children or adults. Fatalities are rare, but sub-acute methemoglobinemia can be asymptotic while affecting development, making the condition particularly insidious. Chronic consumption of high levels of nitrate may also cause other health problems, for example some cancers and teratogenic effects; data are inconclusive, but cause for concern (3, 4).

Is Your Water Safe to Drink?  As stated in the EPA publication "Is Your Drinking Water Safe?" (5): "Only two substances for which standards have been set pose an immediate threat to health whenever they are exceeded: bacteria and nitrate." In addition, high nitrate levels in water and feed lead to reduced vitality and increased stillbirth, low birth weight, and slow weight gain in livestock (6). Nitrate level is monitored in municipal water supplies world-wide, and in foodstuffs, to prevent exposure of populations to harmful or toxic levels. Monitoring private wells and other sources of drinking water is up to the individual owner. For more INFO: Nitrate in Drinking Water

Farm Animals at Risk too: High levels of nitrate in livestock feed and drinking water can result in reduced vitality and increased stillbirth, low birth weight, and slow weight gain and even death of the animals affected (6). Chronic nitrate poisoning is correlated with abortions, still births and stunted calves. Abortion is attributed to maternal and fetal methemoglobinemia resulting in fetal anoxia (particularly in the last tri­mester of pregnancy). More recently, unpublished data indicates serum progesterone is reduced in chronic nitrate toxicosis in cattle and, possibly, horses.  Chronic nitrate toxicosis causes loss of condition, loss of weight, reduced milk production and weakness.  Deficiencies of vitamin A & E and hypothyroidism are reported in cattle and swine. For information on Nitrate Toxicity in Ruminants (Newsletter Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab, Purdue) http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2001/winter/nitrate_tox.shtml

Where is Nitrate Risk High: Because agriculture is implicated in the nitrate pollution problem, farmers and rural communities are the most threatened populations. In the United States, the problem is concentrated in the Mid-West and the Far-West, with large areas of Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington and California being heavily affected (1); see Maps. The USGS (US Geological Survey) released a report in 1995 which revealed that nitrate concentration in the nation’s groundwater supply is increasing steadily: 9% of wells tested have nitrate concentrations exceeding the EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) for nitrate of 10 ppm, up from 2.4% in prior studies.

What can be Done about Nitrate Health Risks: Consumer concern and awareness regarding the quality and safety of water, food and the environment is well established. Recent strong evidence of this trend was the public outcry in 1995 when the Clean Water Act was endangered in Congress. Articles in the popular press also reflect this concern; for example, Good Housekeeping (Nov. 1995), Consumer Reports (Dec. 1995; July, 1997), Sierra (August 1995),  National Geographic (Feb. 1996), and Scientific American (July, 1997), World Watch Magazine (May/June 1999) all carried feature articles on water quality (See Nitrate in the News). Consumer test kits for radon and lead have begun to appear in hardware stores, and many hardware and discount stores carry water purification products. Because nitrate is such a potentially harmful substance and nitrate contamination is such a widespread problem, NECi believes that a safe, reliable, and easy to use nitrate test kit has a place on the shelves. Thus, you should be able to test your water to see if it is free of nitrate pollution.

NECi Nitrate Test Kits: The nitrate pollution problem is an opportunity for The Nitrate Elimination Co., Inc.: NECi President and senior scientist, Dr. W. H. Campbell, has been involved in research on higher plant nitrate reductase for more than 30 years. In the course of his academic research, an immunoaffinity method for the purification of NADH: nitrate reductase was developed (7), making production of useful quantities of a remarkably stable enzyme preparation possible. NECi was founded in 1993 to commercialize nitrate reductase (NaR) for nitrate testing and for water purification.  NECi now offers for sale Nitrate Test Kits (NTK) based on nitrate reductase, which are environmentally and user friendly. Recently, NECi has introduced a new form of Superior Stock NaR (8) which is more stable than the original and easier to produce in large quantities.  Thus, enzyme-based nitrate testing is easier than ever!

NECi Enzymatic Nitrate Testing vs Other Methods:

Nitrate analysis of water is one of the most common tests done by individuals, commercial laboratories and government regulatory laboratories, like public health departments.  This is because nitrate pollution of water presents a significant health risk for humans and animals (see info above on this web page).

Many commercial nitrate test kits and most US EPA certified nitrate analysis methods use the heavy metal cadmium to reduce nitrate in the process of nitrate testing. Cadmium is a toxic chemical that is regulated by the US EPA under the Clean Water Act.  Thus, nitrate testing and nitrate analysis with automated equipment using cadmium puts the person running the test at risk of being exposed to a toxic chemical. The waste generated during automated nitrate analysis and in manual nitrate testing, puts the environment at risk of pollution with a toxic chemical.  While proper waste disposal can reduce risk of environmental pollution, only an alternative method will eliminate the risk for the person doing the nitrate testing and analysis.

NECi has developed an alternative, the Nitrate Reductase Nitrate Analysis Method (Reference 11 - see list below) based on Superior Stock Nitrate Reductase (NaR) .  The NECi Method is a "Green Chemistry" approach, which is "sustainable", and  involves no toxic chemicals. The NECi Method also generates no toxic waste which requires special disposal procedures in most circumstances.  Recent studies have shown that Enzymatic Nitrate Testing is equivalent to cadmium based nitrate testing when using an automated analyzer or manual nitrate analysis (8-13).  Thus NECI Nitrate Test Kits (NTK) are a safe and effective alternative to cadmium based testing.  Why not try the NECi Method and make all your nitrate testing safe for the testers and the environment?
 

REFERENCES:

1. Hallberg, G.R. (1989) Nitrate in ground water in the United States. In: Nitrogen Management and Ground Water Protection, R.F. Follet, ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 35-74.

2. Puckett, L.J. (1995) Identifying the major sources of nutrient water pollution. Environmental Science & Technology: 408A - 414A

3. Kross, B.C., G.R Hallberg, D.R. Bruner, K. Cherryholmes, and J.K. Johnson (1993) The Nitrate Contamination of Private Well Water in Iowa. Am J Public Health 83:270-272.

4. Bruning-Fann, C.S., J.B. Kaneene (1993) The effects of nitrate, nitrite, and N-nitroso compounds on human health: a review. Vet Human Toxicology 35:521-538.

5. US EPA Office of Water (WH-550) "Is Your Drinking Water Safe?" EPA 570 9-91-005, Sept. 91. This document is no longer available on epa.gov website.

6. Committee on Nitrate Accumulation, Ag. Board, Div. Of Biology & Agriculture, National Research Council (1972) Hazards of Nitrate, Nitrite, and Nitrosoamines to Man and Livestock. In: Accumulation of Nitrate, National Academy of Sciences, Wash., DC, pp. 46-75

7. Hyde, G.E., J.A. Wilberding, A.L. Meyer, E.R. Campbell & W.H. Campbell (1989) Monoclonal antibody-based immunoaffinity chromatography for purifying corn NADH:nitrate reductases. Plant Mol. Biol. 13: 233-246.

8. Campbell, WH, T Kinnunen-Skidmore, MJ Brodeur-Campbell & ER Campbell (2004) New and improved nitrate reductase for enzymatic nitrate analysis.  American Laboratory 22(10): 12.

9. Patton, Charles J., Anne E. Fischer, Wilbur H. Campbell, and  Ellen R. Campbell (2002) Corn leaf nitrate reductase: A nontoxic alternative to cadmium for photometric nitrate determinations in water samples by air-segmented continuous-flow analysis. Environmental Science and Technology, 36: 729-35.

10. Patton, CJ, J Kryskalla, ER Campbell & WH Campbell (2004) Replacing Toxic Cadmium with Environmentally Benign Nitrate Reductase in Automated Continuous Flow and Batch Determinations of Nitrate in Environmental Water Samples:  An Overview.  PittCon2004, Chicago, IL, March 9, 2004. Abstract: 12000 – 200.

11. Campbell, Wilbur H., P Song, GG Barbier (2006) Nitrate Reductase for Nitrate Analysis in Water. Environmental Chemistry Letters, in press. Available soon....

12. Campbell, Wilbur H., Ellen R. Campbell, Lynn Egan (2006) Green Chemistry Nitrate Determination: An Alternative Nitrate Analysis Method. American Laboratory, February, 2006. http://www.americanlaboratory.com/

13. Patton, Charles J., et al. (2006) Discrete Analyzer Nitrate Analysis with Nitrate Reductase. See: http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-a/40/i03/html/020106news4.html