Excessive use of which of the following fertilizers may be responsible for the presence of a toxic substance in groundwater?

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Q: 11 (CDS-II/2016)
Excessive use of which of the following fertilizers may be responsible for the presence of a toxic substance in groundwater?

question_subject: 

Science

question_exam: 

CDS-II

stats: 

0,30,65,39,6,7,43

keywords: 

{'fertilizers': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'phosphate': [1, 1, 1, 3], 'groundwater': [0, 0, 0, 2], 'nitrogen': [1, 1, 0, 2], 'potassium': [1, 0, 0, 2], 'toxic substance': [0, 0, 0, 2], 'excessive use': [0, 0, 0, 1]}

Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer may be responsible for the presence of a toxic substance in groundwater. When nitrogen fertilizer is applied to crops, it can be converted to nitrates, which can leach into groundwater. Nitrate pollution in drinking water can be harmful to human health, especially in infants and pregnant women.

Phosphate and potassium fertilizers do not typically contribute to nitrate pollution in groundwater. However, excessive use of these fertilizers can lead to other environmental problems, such as eutrophication of water bodies, which can lead to harmful algal blooms and fish kills.