Tag: Pollution

Nitrate and Brain/CNS Cancer Diagnoses in the First Year of Life

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Author: Sajid, Arshi; Semprini, Jason Description: Nitrates in drinking water, common in agricultural states like Iowa, pose health risks to young infants. This brief first reviews the plausible biological mechanisms linking nitrate exposure to brain and central nervous system (BCNS) cancers in the first year of life. We then linked historic water quality and cancer registry data at the county level to construct linear and quantile regression models estimating the association between a BCNS diagnosis and nitrate measures. We found significantly higher nitrate levels preceding pediatric zero-year-old BCNS cancer diagnoses….

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Trends in nitrate contamination: implications for communities reliant on groundwater for drinking

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Author: Jayasekera, D. Harshanee; Munde, Siddhi; Snow, Daniel D.; Rimšaitė, Renata Description: Nebraska’s vulnerability to nitrate contamination in water systems is highlighted by agrochemical inputs with leaching potential and the state’s reliance on groundwater for drinking. Nitrate is a regulated compound in drinking water due to its association with methemoglobinemia and other chronic health conditions. This study examines water quality in Nebraska’s groundwater over several decades, focusing on temporal and spatial variations in nitrate concentrations across different well types. The findings reveal increasing statewide trends in nitrate levels, with considerable…

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The association between increases in nitrate in drinking water and colorectal cancer incidence rates in California, USA

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Author: Cisneros, Ricardo; Amiri, Marzieh; Gharibi, Hamed Description: PURPOSE: The water resources in California are polluted with nitrate (NO3) due to the ever-increasing application of nitrogen-based fertilizers. Considering the potential connection between NO3 in drinking water and the incidence rate of colorectal cancer, this study aims to investigate the association between long-term exposure to NO3 via drinking water and the incidence of colorectal cancer from 2010 to 2015 in California. METHODS: A total of 56,631 diagnoses of colorectal cancer were recorded from 2010 to 2015. A generalized linear model was…

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Agricultural Compounds in Water and Birth Defects

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Author: Brender, Jean D.; Weyer, Peter J. Description: Agricultural compounds have been detected in drinking water, some of which are teratogens in animal models. The most commonly detected agricultural compounds in drinking water include nitrate, atrazine, and desethylatrazine. Arsenic can also be an agricultural contaminant, although arsenic often originates from geologic sources. Nitrate has been the most studied agricultural compound in relation to prenatal exposure and birth defects. In several case-control studies published since 2000, women giving birth to babies with neural tube defects, oral clefts, and limb deficiencies were…

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Drinking water source and exposure to regulated water contaminants in the California Teachers Study cohort

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Author: Spaur, Maya; Medgyesi, Danielle N.; Bangia, Komal; Madrigal, Jessica M.; Hurwitz, Lauren M.; Beane Freeman, Laura E.; Fisher, Jared A.; Spielfogel, Emma S.; Lacey, James V.; Sanchez, Tiffany; Jones, Rena R.; Ward, Mary H. Description: BACKGROUND: Pollutants including metals/metalloids, nitrate, disinfection byproducts, and volatile organic compounds contaminate federally regulated community water systems (CWS) and unregulated domestic wells across the United States. Exposures and associated health effects, particularly at levels below regulatory limits, are understudied. OBJECTIVE: We described drinking water sources and exposures for the California Teachers Study (CTS), a…

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‘Cropaganda’: Mythology of Corn Belt agriculture

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Author: Hall, Anaya L. Description: Even as scholars have increasingly recognized the role of industrial agricultural practices in contributing to non-point source pollution, drinking water in the Corn Belt remains perilously contaminated with excess nitrates, which pose a significant risk to human health and the environment. A recent lawsuit filed by the city of Des Moines, Iowa against three upstream counties over chronic nitrate pollution sparked heated debate around the roles and responsibilities of agricultural production. Drawing on Barthes’ theory of mythology, this paper explores how three core myths influence…

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Nitrate-nitrogen patterns in the Raccoon River Basin related to agricultural practices

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Author: Hatfield, J. L.; McMullen, L. D.; Jones, C. S. Description: Nitrate-N concentrations in the Raccoon River have increased beginning in the early 1970s. Since this river is the predominant water supply for the City of Des Moines in Iowa, there is concern about the potential long-term impacts of these trends. Improvements in water quality from agricultural watersheds are critical to protect the water supply, and understanding the factors affecting water quality will lead to potential changes in agricultural management to improve water quality. The historical database of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N)…

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Disparities in potential nitrate exposures within Iowa public water systems

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Author: Mantey, Emmanuel Padmore; Liu, Lu; Rehmann, Chris R. Description: Nitrates (measured as nitrate-nitrogen) in drinking water exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg L-1 can cause significant health risks, such as methemoglobinemia. Even long-term exposure to concentrations below the MCL can also increase the risks of cancer. Iowa, a major agricultural producer, has grappled with decades-long nitrate pollution in its water systems due to intensive farming practices and animal feeding operations. To help in developing interventions and policies to protect public health, this study delves into long-term…

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Global mercury cycle

A review of global environmental mercury processes in response to human and natural perturbations: Changes of emissions, climate, and land use

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Author: Obrist, Daniel; Kirk, Jane L.; Zhang, Lei; Sunderland, Elsie M.; Jiskra, Martin; Selin, Noelle E. Description: We review recent progress in our understanding of the global cycling of mercury (Hg), including best estimates of Hg concentrations and pool sizes in major environmental compartments and exchange processes within and between these reservoirs. Recent advances include the availability of new global datasets covering areas of the world where environmental Hg data were previously lacking; integration of these data into global and regional models is continually improving estimates of global Hg cycling….

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Mercury pollution sources and cycle

Mercury as a global pollutant: sources, pathways, and effects

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Author: Driscoll, Charles T.; Mason, Robert P.; Chan, Hing Man; Jacob, Daniel J.; Pirrone, Nicola Description: Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects human and ecosystem health. We synthesize understanding of sources, atmosphere-land-ocean Hg dynamics and health effects, and consider the implications of Hg-control policies. Primary anthropogenic Hg emissions greatly exceed natural geogenic sources, resulting in increases in Hg reservoirs and subsequent secondary Hg emissions that facilitate its global distribution. The ultimate fate of emitted Hg is primarily recalcitrant soil pools and deep ocean waters and sediments. Transfers of…

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