What are Nitrates?
Nitrates are chemical compounds which, among other defining characteristics, contain the polyatomic ion nitrate, which is composed of one atom of nitrogen and three atoms of oxygen, together having a single net negative charge. Nitrates are commonly seen in the study of inorganic chemistry as well as organic chemistry. In medicine, nitrates are medications used to treat heart conditions such as angina, and have been in use for over a century. Many nitrates can be harmful to a person’s health, while others can have a more or less neutral effect. Some are actually used to prolong life in emergency medical conditions. If nitrate levels in the blood rise too high, this may in some cases lead to a lack of oxygen absorption by the body. The nitrate ion contains oxygen, and when this part of it bonds with hemoglobin in blood cells, it keeps elemental oxygen from doing so, reducing the ability of the blood as whole to carry oxygen. This condition sometimes presents in newborns and infants youn
A form of nitrogen and oxygen used by plants. Nitrates travel freely through water and can stay in soil for decades. Where do nitrates come from? A variety of sources. Since at least the 1940s, farmers have applied commercial fertilizer containing nitrogen to crops. Human waste can be a source, too, the result of failing septic systems, which was a problem in the Lower Valley’s Parker area until a public water system was constructed. Poorly constructed or old, shallow wells — there are many in the Lower Valley — are also conduits for nitrate pollution. In the Lower Valley, manure is also a major source of nitrates. A single dairy cow produces nearly 150 pounds of wet manure a day. Wildlife manure and municipal and industrial wastewater can be sources. Geologic formations and the direction that water flows underground can also influence nitrate concentration. How do nitrates reach underground drinking water? Nitrate-rich manure overapplied as liquid waste on crops can leach into aquif
