title: [Nitrate concentrations in tap water in Spain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine nitrate concentrations in drinking water in a sample of Spanish cities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used ion chromatography to analyze the nitrate concentrations of public drinking water in 108 Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants (supplying 21,290,707 potential individuals). The samples were collected between January and April 2012. The total number of samples tested was 324.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median nitrate concentration was 3.47 mg/L (range: 0.38-66.76; interquartile range: 4.51). The water from 94% of the municipalities contained less than 15 mg/L. The concentration was higher than 25mg/L in only 3 municipalities and was greater than 50mg/L in one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nitrate levels in most public drinking water supplies in municipalities inhabited by almost half of the Spanish population are below 15 mg/L.
authors: Unidad de Nutrición y Metabolopatías, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, España. Electronic address: vitoria_isi@gva.es.
authors: Isidro
authors: I
authors: Vitoria
authors: Escuela Profesional de Hidrología Médica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, España.
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Maraver
authors: Sección de Gastroenterología y Nutrición Pediátrica, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra, Pamplona, España.
authors: Félix
authors: F
authors: Sánchez-Valverde
authors: Escuela Profesional de Hidrología Médica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, España.
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Armijo
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D006801:Humans; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis*; D013030:Spain; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D014867:Water
keywords: Agua de bebida; Cancer; Cáncer; Drinking water; Metahemoglobinemia; Methemoglobinemia; Nitrates; Nitratos; Prevención primaria; Primary prevention