"Babies whose mothers consume nitrates in drinking water have a higher risk of spina bifida, cleft palate and other birth defects, according to a large study of children in Texas and Iowa. Used as fertilizers on crops, nitrates are one of the most widespread chemical contaminants in aquifers around the world. The study is the first to compare birth defects in kids to their mothers’ consumption of nitrates-tainted drinking water during pregnancy."

Environmental Health News summarized an article by J.D. Brender et al. in Environmental Health Perspectives June 27, 2013. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Prenatal Nitrate Intake from Drinking Water and Selected Birth Defects in Offspring of Participants in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study" (Environmental Health Perspectives: Jean D. Brender et al.) [3]