Health implications of exposure to environmental nitrogenous compounds.

All living systems need nitrogen for the production of complex organic molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, vitamins, hormones and enzymes. Due to the intense use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and livestock manure in modern day agriculture, food (particularly vegetables) and drinking water may contain higher concentrations of nitrate than in the past. The mean intake of nitrate per person in Europe is about 50–140 mg/ day and in the US about 40–100 mg/day. In the proximal small intestine, nitrate is rapidly and almost completely absorbed (bioavailability at least 92%). In humans, approximately, 25% of the nitrate ingested is secreted in saliva, where some 20% (about 5–8% of the nitrate intake) is converted to nitrite by commensal bacteria. The nitrite so formed is then absorbed primarily in the small intestine.