Nitrates

The findings are based on a meta-analysis of 10 earlier studies involving 18,000 people in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, which looked at the health effects of eating meats that contain nitrates as preservatives.

Hong Kong student Nick So developed a kit to measure the levels of potentially toxic nitrates and nitrites in homemade baby food.

Other projects being developed include mobile salt-removal systems for remote Aboriginal communities where supplies from groundwater wells are contaminated by high concentrations of saline and nitrates.