Nitrates in the geochemical environment, particularly in the aquatic environment, are of special importance in view of health implications. With great emphasis being placed on increased food production and the concomitant use of nitrogenous fertilizers, nitrates figure prominently in the medical geochemistry of cancer and some other diseases notably in developing countries. Among the major threats to groundwater from which drinking water supplies are obtained are leachates from human and animal waste matter. Additionally industrial and agriculture leachates mostly from large farmlands contribute quite significantly to groundwater pollution.
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Dissanayake, C., Chandrajith, R. (2009). Nitrates in the Geochemical Environment. In: Introduction to Medical Geology. Erlangen Earth Conference Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00485-8_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00485-8_6
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