Metahemoglobinemia Levels in Children That Consume Nitrate-Contaminated Water

Abstract

ISEE-716 Objective: Currently, nitrates produced in part by the excessive fertilization of fields and the inadequate management of the manure generated by livestock farmers are one of the pollutants of drinking water. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between nitrate levels in drinking water and Methemoglobine levels in children from a small town in the Comarca Lagunera, Mexico, which are exposed to nitrate concentrations in drinking water that are slightly higher than the values recommended by Mexican norms (10 mg/L). Materials and Methods: The design was transversal comparative on 2 groups of children aged between 1 and 12. The first group (exposure) comprised 25 children and the second (control) 19. They have lived in the area for more than a year and have drunk water with nitrate concentrations of 11.8 mg/L and 4.7 mg/L respectively, from 2 wells in the same study area. Mann-Whitney test was applied for testing differences amongst groups. Results: There are significant differences between the levels of metahemoglobin in the exposed group and those in the control group (P = <0.01). The exposure group had a chance 1.7 times higher of having an increase in metahemoglobin levels than control group. The age of the subjects had no significant effect on the results. Passively smoking children have a risk of metahemoglobinemia 3.7 times larger (P<0.01) than the nonexposed children. Conclusions: Even though there is no clinical evidence of Methemoglobinemia, the levels of Methemoglobin were higher in the exposed group.