Mendes, AnaSouto, FláviaFaria, PaulaPires, BrunoBarros, PedroNogueira, António José M.Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes2015-11-162015-11-162014Mendes, Ana; Souto, Flávia; Faria, Paula; Pires, Bruno; Barros, Pedro; Nogueira, António José M.; Afonso, Andrea (2014) – Assessment of iron and nitrates concentration in drinking water. In the district of Bragança, Portugal between 2012 and 2013. In 3rd International Congress on Environmental Health 2014: proceedings book. Porto. ISBN 978-989-20-5086-7. p. 134-135978-989-20-5086-7http://hdl.handle.net/10198/12336Water is an essential resource for life. It is a crucial factor for all living beings’ survival thus, it is necessary to promote means to obtain drinking water for human consumption.1 The water intended for human consumption, according to the World Health Organization (WHO),is quality water as soon as it does not cause a significant threat to human health during its consumption.2 The diseases related to the contamination of water for human consumption constitute a very high responsibility and importance to the Public Health. The nitrates have a high solubility and may reach the groundwater in the deep layers of the soil by processes as leaching, particularly in areas with intensive farming and livestock. High concentrations of nitrates can be very harmful to human health since they can be easily converted into nitrites which concentrations cannot exceed the parametric value of 50 mg/L in water for human consumption (Dec. Law n.º 306/2007). The greater effect of nitrite in human health is your involvement in the oxidation of hemoglobin (Hb) to methemoglobin (MetHb). High concentrations of nitrates cause severe methaemoglobinemia in infants and adults. The methemoglobinemia is a rare condition caused by excessive conversion of hemoglobin (Hb) in methemoglobin (MetHb), being unable to bind and transport oxygen.3The iron exists in low concentrations in natural waters and usually its presence results of processes such as leaching of soils or industrial pollution. The presence of iron in the water can consequently cause the corrosion of metal pipes or the use of iron salts as agents of coagulation/flocculation in water treatment and the parametric value of iron is 200μg/L (Dec. Law n.º 306/2007) in water for human consumption.engPollutionEnvironmentalconference object