Nitrate levels in 136 samples of 5 commonly consumed vegetables grown in areas of South Australia where groundwater generally had high nitrate levels were examined to test the hypothesis that food grown in this area would have markedly elevated nitrate levels and hence contribute to the high proportion of fetal deaths attributed to congenital abnormalities. The risk of abnormal fetal development in this area is statistically associated with consumption of water which has 3 or more times the nitrate level found in the drinking water of other nearby areas. Mean nitrate concentrations were reported for 4 seasons of the year in both the low nitrate areas and other areas. Wide variations occur by season and vegetable type. The highest nitrate value was found in lettuce and the lowest in onions. Comparison was also made to values reported for the same vegetables grown in the US. There was no suggestion of an overall elevation in the nitrate content of samples from this area of Australia. (emc)