For certain you already happened to hear that nitrates are the worst enemies of human health. They contain practically in all used food, beginning from water and vegetables, finishing with sausages. And most of all these hazardous substances in vegetables and fruit.
Growing up fruit, berries and vegetables on own site, you seek to receive qualitative and eco-friendly harvest, without using at the same time large amount of fertilizers. But all the same the content of nitrates sometimes exceeds admissible norm, and it is hazardous to health. The nitrate form of nitrogen in the conditions of anaerobe bacteria leads to formation of nitrosamines which are capable to cause oncological diseases. Some assume that nitrates are not formed in vegetables if not to use chemical fertilizers, and to apply instead compost or manure. But it not so, emergence of nitrates in plants is only partially connected with use of fertilizers. Any vegetable already contains certain amount of nitrates. Special influence on accumulation of nitrates in vegetables and fruit is rendered by the nitrogen fertilizers introduced to the soil. If to use excessive amount of manure or compost for fertilizer of beds, then the content of nitrates in the grown-up vegetables considerably will increase. Fault to all is nitrogen which contains in cultures, vegetables simply do not manage to process it, and it is postponed in plants. Nitrogen not only increases nitrates in fruits, it is dissolved in water and easily gets to the atmosphere from where spills rains and gets into reservoirs and underground waters. Standard of admissible amount of nitrates in water – 10 milligrams on liter. There are following nitrogen fertilizers: - waterless ammonia and ammonia water; - calcic saltpeter and sodium saltpeter; - chloride ammonium and sulfate of ammonium; - carbamide and urea. Considerably the amount of nitrates in fruits at lack of sunlight increases. For this reason vegetables which are grown up in winter greenhouses differ in the high content of nitrates.