Caution, nitrates: Students of NUOA held a free action in the town

June 14, 2018

The students of the first year of the specialty "Public Health" together with the "Ecology of Human and Public Health" Research and Development Center (hereafter called "RDC")  of the National University of Ostroh Academy conducted a campaign for the free nitrates measurement and possible radiation contamination of fruit and vegetable products, which in the market Ostroh citizens bought on this day.

Ihor Hushchuk, Head of the RDC, Head of the Department of Public Health, PhD of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor noted that this event was organized not only with the educational purpose for students, but also to draw the attention of local residents to the problems of environmental pollution, including nitrate-containing compounds as natural so artificial origin.

«Pollution of food and drinking water with nitrates today is extremely relevant. Particular attention should be paid to families with infants and children up to 3 years of age, in the absence of a special enzyme methemoglobin reductase the accumulation of methemoglobin in the blood occurs, and when its quantity reaches 10%, clinical signs of methemoglobinemia are arised: acrocyanosis, dyspnea, tachycardia. For serious forms of the disease (up to 30% of the methemoglobin content) seizures and chine-stokes are developed as well as at untimely resuscitation measures death occurs. Nitrates do not belong to methemoglobin dopants, but when they enter the digestive canal, they under the influence of the intestinal microflora are restored to the nitrite. The latter enter the bloodstream and block the hemoglobin by the formation of methemoglobin (MtHb), which is not able to enter the reverse reaction with oxygen and transfer it. Consequently, the more hemoglobin has turned into methemoglobin, the lower the oxygen content of the blood will be. » - explains Ihor Hushchuk.

The Head of the Department of Public Health and the Head of RDC informed that at present, in addition to measuring nitrates, radiation background, mineralization of drinking water, the Center organizes the activities of the scientific and practical laboratory for measuring in the residential and industrial premises of the microclimate, illumination, electromagnetic fields, radon, the skill of the tickers dust allergens and others. According to Igor Hushchuk, these issues are also relevant to our citizens, as during the termination of the work of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service the proper monitoring of the state of pollution of the environment and human life was lost due to dangerous factors. In the future, it is planned to conduct an expert review on compliance with environmental and sanitary legislation, assessment of health and environmental risks for life and health from harmful environmental factors at the individual and population levels.