Is clear that excess nitrogen is not good for our environment; it is also not good for our health. Reactive nitrogen is an important driver of air pollution worldwide and as sulphur emissions have lessened, nitrogen is now the principal acidifying component in acid rain.
Nitrogen may join with oxygen to form nitrogen oxide (NO), a precursor of smog, and also a respiratory irritant. Nitrogen oxides, along with volatile organic compounds, contribute to the formation of ground level ozone. Long term exposure to moderate levels of ground levels ozone results in a reduction in lung capacity and can exacerbate respiratory and cardiac disease. Significantly, the levels of ground level ozone in Ireland are already classed as ‘moderate’ [14]
Aside from being a respiratory irritant, nitrous oxide (N20) is also one of the three most important greenhouse gases, being almost 300 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Nitrogen oxides emitted from aircraft also act as a catalyst in the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer, thereby increasing exposure to ultra-violet B radiation, with resulting impacts on the incidence of skin cancer, the immune system and cataracts. High levels of nitrates in water can result in the condition of methaemoglobinaemia, condition usually found in very young babies, where the haemoglobin is unable to carry oxygen properly, and results in cyanosis. Nitrates are also a precursor of N-nitroso compounds, and while there is strong biological plausibility for nitrates in drinking water as a possible cause of cancer, the epidemiological evidence is weak hopes that help you
