Beresford S A
Int J Epidemiol. 1985 Mar;14(1):57-63. doi: 10.1093/ije/14.1.57.
Several studies have suggested that nitrate levels in drinking water may be linked with stomach cancer. Recent investigations of this hypothesis in rural areas of the UK, where nitrate levels can be high, have been inconclusive. The present study examined mortality data for the years 1969-1973 in 253 urban areas in relation to treated water nitrate levels. Variations in socioeconomic status and urban area size were taken into account. Drinking water nitrate levels were negatively associated with mortality from stomach cancer even when the analysis was restricted to urban areas with nitrate levels above the EEC guide. There was no evidence of a positive association between nitrate in the drinking water and the risk of stomach cancer in the urban areas of the UK, an important finding for the British water industry.
多项研究表明，饮用水中的硝酸盐含量可能与胃癌有关。近期在英国农村地区对这一假说进行的调查尚无定论，因为那里的硝酸盐含量可能很高。本研究考察了1969年至1973年期间253个城市地区的死亡率数据与经处理的饮用水硝酸盐含量之间的关系。研究中考虑了社会经济地位和城市面积的差异。即使将分析局限于硝酸盐含量高于欧洲经济共同体指导标准的城市地区，饮用水中的硝酸盐含量仍与胃癌死亡率呈负相关。在英国城市地区，没有证据表明饮用水中的硝酸盐与胃癌风险之间存在正相关，这一重要发现对英国水行业而言意义重大。
