How dangerous are nitrate ions in drinking water?
Nitrogen is a chemical element that is required by all living things on earth. It is part of the amino acids (proteins) and the nucleic acids, i.e. the carrier of the genetic material and thus an essential chemical substance. The vital necessity of nitrogen for living beings, its uptake - nitrogen assimilation and its release from dead biomass is maintained by the nitrogen cycle. This biochemical process describes the migration of the chemical element nitrogen through the atmosphere, soil, water and living beings. Fungi and bacteria, which decompose and convert dead biomass and release it again as ammonium, are primarily involved in maintaining this cycle. On the other hand, the nitrogen bound in the ammonium is released again by bacteria in that the molecule is first processed into nitrite and then into nitrate in an intermediate stage. Since the nitrogen cycle takes place both on land and in water, an excessively high ammonia content can lead to acidification of the soil and the groundwater.
The fact is that a study carried out by the Ministry of the Environment found that the nitrate concentration was too high in over a quarter of the measuring points. This oversupply of bound nitrogen not only pollutes biodiversity, but also the human body. The main cause of this oversupply of nitrates is the use of nitrogen fertilizers and excess biomass in agriculture. In babies in particular, this can lead to serious physical impairments. In the human body, nitrate ions are processed into nitrite and nitrosamines via metabolic processes, which attack red blood cells. Nitrogen-containing molecules are also suspected of causing cancer and impairing the body's absorption of iodine. The consequences are vasoconstriction and blockages as well as circulatory problems.
The advantages of tap water over bottled water!
Tap water has several advantages over bottled water: Tap water is more strictly controlled than bottled water. The strict requirements imposed by the health department on the water suppliers to protect the end consumer require them to provide water in the quality required by the consumer. In addition, landlords must ensure that the pipes in the house are in perfect condition. They are therefore prohibited from using poisonous lead lines in the building. Chemical residues such as nitrate ions can be reduced and removed using filters, so that a consistently high water quality can be guaranteed. The use of plastics and other materials to store bottled water also has an impact on the environment. In addition, it was found that mineral water by no means has more minerals than tap water. Last but not least, the procurement of bottled water is associated with costs that can extend to physical strain. Transporting heavy bottles in old age is a risk that can be avoided, especially since a liter of tap water costs only half a cent, while bottled water costs twenty-five cents.
The nitrate filter and how it works as a water filter
In order to obtain drinking water of the highest quality, it is essential, especially when using groundwater, to clean and filter it with a water filter. The water can be filtered and cleaned using mechanical cleaning or biological and chemical processes. For the mechanical cleaning of suspended matter and coarser materials from the water, water filters with small pore sizes in the form of ceramics, sand or activated carbon are required, which clean the water in a sieving process. To do this, the water is pressed through the sieve using a pump, in which the dirt remains trapped.
In contrast, the nitrate filter filters the nitrate ions from the nitrogen cycle either by denitrification, i.e. the conversion of the nitrate to elemental nitrogen, or by anion exchange. The first principle is based on bacteria that can breathe the oxygen bound in the nitrate. This requires a source of carbon, such as paraffin beads or alcohol, to oxidize the oxygen. The anion exchanger, on the other hand, works with nitrate resin filters to remove excess nitrate ions from the drinking water. To do this, the nitrate in the nitrate-contaminated water is replaced by chloride and regenerated with a ten percent saline solution.
