Nature & Environment
Effects of pollutants on the aquatic environment
...system. Nitrites combine with haemoglobin in the bloodstream, preventing it from carrying out its normal function of combining with oxygen and carrying it around the body. This can result in a serious, though rare, condition called methaemoglobinaemia (‘blue baby syndrome’), which can be fatal (Skipton and Hay, 1998). Ingestion of nitrate and nitrite by people with a...