Publisher's Synopsis
Nitrate and nitrite are potentially dangerous substances which can have a detrimental effect on the ecological balance of rivers and lakes, and cause harm to human health. EC legislation to determine acceptable levels of nitrate and nitrite in food and water means that all water and food companies will need to be fully aware of the ramifications. These two factors have prompted this book, which puts into context the magnitude and complexity of the problems caused by nitrate and nitrite, and provides advice and information on ways to combat it.;Starting with a discussion of the methods used to assay nitrate and nitrite, and covering origins and those factors which determine levels in water, the book also reviews levels of nitrite and nitrate which are naturally found in food. Arguments for and against the use of nitrate and nitrite as a food additive are presented, and their mode of action discussed. The level of human exposure, the pharmacological implications, and the fate of nitrate and nitrites in the human body, is comprehensively covered. Finally, the medical evidence relating exposure to nitrate or nitrite to human disease (covering both the acute effects of large doses and the long-term effect of chronic exposure) is reviewed.;The book aims to enable all those interested in the water or food industry to gain a better understanding of the causes and concerns of environmentalists, and for environmentalists to understand better the problems associated with the control of nitrate exposure, not only with respect to decreased food production, but in terms of possible wholesale dangers in the appearance of the countryside.
