The research article I selected for research example #3 is an article I found in the current periodical section of the library. The article is from the Journal of Environmental Health volume 74, number 4, November 2011. The title of the article is “New Questions and Insights Into Nitrate/Nitrite and Human Health Effects: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Private Well Users’ Immunological and Wellness Status.” The authors of this study examined 150 private wells users’ drinking water in the state of Iowa. The drinking water contained nitrate/nitrogen in an amount below the ten parts per million maximum contaminate level. The authors then analyzed the health history data and blood samples including hemoglobin fractions and immunological parameters of the users. The authors found that there was a positive relationship between higher nitrate exposure and body mass index lower recreational activity perceived poorer health and perceptions of susceptibility to illness. These conclusions appear to be consistent with the well documented health effects of nitrate/nitrite ingestion. When nitrate or nitrite is used as a preservative in food, nitrosamines are formed are linked to certain variety of cancers. As a result, environmental and public health agencies around the world encouraged to the removal of nitrate/nitrite salts from food and have set limits on the amount of nitrate/nitrite levels found in drinking water. The authors designed a study to test the health effects of well water nitrate exposure on a population of 150 participants between the ages of one and sixty. The authors found that the participants reported being less healthy, less active, and more susceptible to illness in those participants who drank higher nitrate levels. The authors recommend that further research is needed in a larger population group to study the effects of nitrates and other water contaminants including metals and pesticides.

Catherine Zeman, Lisa Beltz, Mark Linda, Jean Maddux, Diane Depken, Jeff Orr, Patricia Theran. 2011 “New Questions and Insights Into Nitrate/Nitrite and Human Health Effects: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Private Well Users’ Immunological and Wellness Status.” Journal of Environmental Health. Vol 74(6):8-16