Nitrate in drinking water may be linked to preterm births in New Zealand

A new Aotearoa New Zealand study has found that nitrate concentrations in drinking water are associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, even at levels well below the current drinking water standard. The study, published in Environmental Research, analyzed 735,831 singleton births between 2008 and 2021, linking gestational age with estimated nitrate concentrations in drinking water at the mother's usual residence.