expert reaction to observational study linking nitrate in drinking water to pre-term birth rates

expert reaction to observational study linking nitrate in drinking water to pre-term birth rates

A observational study published in PLOS Water looks at the link between nitrate in drinking water and premature births.   Prof Oliver Jones, Professor of Chemistry, RMIT University, said: “The headline on this research may sound scary; however, to my mind, there are several issues with this paper.  “Firstly, the data are from 1970-1988 and so are not current. Secondly, the author did not perform any measurements themselves but instead used publi…

EXPERT REACTION: Agriculture byproduct linked to preterm births and lo

A US researcher looking at 18 years of birth records and water quality data from a US state suggests that even low levels of nitrate - a common agricultural runoff and drinking water contaminant - could be linked to heightened risks of babies being born early, and being underweight at birth. Looking at the state of Iowa from 1970-1988, the researcher says he found nitrate levels rose by an average of 8% per year, and early prenatal exposure grea…