Control of nitrate contents in sources of food for children, in a vulnerable area of Artemisa province, Cuba

Abstract

Nitrates, in certain concentrations in vegetable products and water, affect human health: nitrites transform the bivalent iron of hemoglobin into trivalent iron forming methemoglobin, which is not capable of transporting oxygen, which is the main function of hemoglobin. The objective of this work was, based on research carried out by the Soil Institute and the Hydraulic Projects Research Enterprise of Havana, to analyze the need to establish a strategy to control the accumulation of nitrate in food for children in the municipality of Güira de Melena, a vulnerable area of Artemisa province, due to the nitrate levels in sources of water supply to the population. Research results were analyzed on: proposal of sanitary regulation in Cuba (1990), research results on the influence of nitrogen fertilization and yields on nitrate accumulation in an indicated crop (potato), and nitrate in water for the characterization of supply sources in the municipality of Güira de Melena. It is concluded that the permissible limits of nitrate in food should be updated and differentiated for the children population, that the lack of nitrogen fertilizer in the agricultural area does not guarantee the absence of nitrate in agricultural products, and that it is necessary to establish a systematic control of the concentration of nitrate in food in the municipality of Güira de Melena.