Contamination of drinking well water by nitrate and its possible association with reproductive and developmental disorders will be investigated in the Amish Community of Smicksburg, Pennsylvania. This population is an ideal study group because their traditional cultural and social practices including use of outhouses, livestock production application of manure as fertilizer, and shallow wells increase the likelihood of contamination of groundwater with nitrate. In addition, anecdotal reports from physicians suggest that the population may have an increased incidence of reproductive and developmental problems such as infertility, spontaneous abortions, and infant methemoglobinemia. Although the relationship between high nitrate exposure and infant methemoglobinemia is well established, nitrate toxicity and pregnancy has only recently been identified as another area of potential concern. This study will allow for the investigation of the reproductive effects of nitrates. In addition, it will lay the foundation for studying the environmental influences of nitrate as well as other pollutants (e.g., pesticides) on genetic diseases that are characteristic of this reproductively isolated group. Lastly, the findings will provide information to the Amish community to assist families to reduce their exposure to nitrate and other related contaminants in well water. To test the hypothesis that consumption of well water containing nitrate concentrations exceeding health advisory limits has significant reproductive and developmental effects this will: a) Identify families with infants and women of reproductive age; b) survey the concentration of nitrate in well- water consumed by these households using field chemistry; c) randomly select 25 families exposed to low and 25 families exposed to high well water nitrate concentration; d) evaluate potable water sources and quality including well construction, location, nitrate concentration using analytical chemistry, and bacteriological contamination; e) evaluate wastewater disposal, agricultural, and livestock production practices that predispose well water to nitrate contamination; f) evaluate reported incidences of relevant reproductive and developmental disorders; g) compare well water characteristics, land use practices and reproductive and developmental disorders between low and high nitrate household; h) test for associations between well water characteristics, land use practices and medical disorders in low and high nitrate subjects; and i) generate hypotheses to be tested in future analytical epidemiologic studies. Another strength of this study is that it is interdisciplinary in using spatial science tools to manage and analyze environmental health data, and in fostering collaborative research between undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty in the Department of Biology and Geography and Regional Planning.
