Nitrates: the whole truth about the mysterious substance
Nowadays, among summer residents there are disputes about the so-called nitrates - their effects on the human body, as well as the degree of need for use in the industry. Nitrates - is this really what it is?
Nitrates, as you know from the school chemistry course, are salts of nitric acid, readily soluble in an aqueous medium. Nitrates gained widespread popularity for horticultural use until the late fall season.
The sources for the accumulation of nitrates in the soil can be the mineralization of organic substances, as well as organic fertilizers already introduced by summer residents. Thus, these same salts appear. There is also a certain probability of occurrence when using a large amount of nitrogen fertilizers on the site - sodium nitrate (in other words, nitrate nitrogen), urea (or amide nitrogen), as well as ammonium sulfate. By its properties and structure, sodium nitrate provokes the greatest accumulation of salts in the soil, while urea and ammonium sulfate contribute to this to a lesser extent.
Ammonium and amide nitrogen, when interacting with microorganisms, one way or another, gradually pass into the state of nitrate nitrogen, which in turn is highly mobile and is often washed out of the root system after the irrigation procedure.
Plants, due to their characteristics, absorb several times more nitrogen from the soil than is required for normal functioning and growth, which, of course, is a serious problem. Excess nitrogen accumulates in the cell sap of plants, because to implement it for the general benefit lacks capabilities and resources. This occurs if summer residents overdo it with fertilizers or simply do not know their norms.
As for the effect of nitrates on the human body, then, getting inside, they tend to recover to the ammonia state, thereby provoking a reaction with organic acids. If nitrates in small quantities do not pose a particular danger, then with their excess, the risk of the formation of extremely toxic chemical compounds - nitrites, which is a frequent problem of oxygen starvation when binding with hemoglobin, which is present in our blood, increases several times. It may even lead to oncological diseases if an excess of nitrites becomes a catalyst in the formation of nitrosamine, a group of dangerous carcinogens.
An excessive amount of nitrates when consumed by a person is characterized by such unpleasant symptoms as diarrhea, nausea, shortness of breath, staining of the skin in a bluish tint. Moreover, similar symptoms appear after four to six hours. General weakness, pain in the back of the head, frequent palpitations should also be highlighted. In a word - the danger of nitrates is undoubtedly proven and is a fact, therefore, if you want to protect yourself from these harmful substances, you should observe all the above norms and restrictions.
The permissible norm of nitrates for the human body is considered to be about five milligrams per kilogram of human body weight.
The main source of nitrate distribution in everyday life is water. The content of nitrates in water is characterized by a pure, and not bound, as in the case of plants, state. In accordance with state standards, nitrate content exceeding 45 milligrams is not allowed in one liter of clean water.In fact, by drinking an average of about two liters of water a day, to quench our thirst, each of us gets about a quarter of the acceptable value of nitrates with water, which, however, is a safe value and should not be worried about.
The most careful consideration should be given to vegetables - another source of nitrates, but already posing a real danger if the crops were grown in conditions that violate standards and norms.
If pure nitrogen is introduced into the soil, observing proportions of no more than 20 grams per 1 square meter, the salt content in vegetables should not exceed the permissible value, which means that they are safe for subsequent human consumption. If the numbers increase, as many farmers and suppliers often do, seemingly to improve products, then such products, on the contrary, become extremely dangerous and should be abandoned to purchase them in markets and stores. It should also be remembered that different crops, even with the same fertilization rates using nitrogen, can accumulate it in different amounts from each other.
Using mineral fertilizers, you should not relax that they will do everything for you and, at the click of your fingers, will increase the quality of the finished product - on the contrary, you should be vigilant and careful, because in fact it is an analogue of a potent antibiotic that a doctor prescribes to a person for the fastest possible recovery. Even if by refusing to use such fertilizers or applying them in permissible doses, you received a modest harvest - do not despair, but you have protected yourself and your loved ones from the risk of being exposed to these harmful substances, and you, in turn, can be proud of the high quality of your crops. albeit in small quantities.