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Are you protecting your baby from possible nitrate poisoning?
Have you tested your well water for
nitrates?
The Canadian Drinking Water Guideline recommends that there should be no more than 10 milligrams per Litre (mg/L.) of nitrate-nitrogen in drinking water.
High levels (more than 10 mg/L.) of nitrate-nitrogen have been found in well water samples from a number of wells in Langley/Brookswood, Hopington, Abbotsford/Sumas, Osoyoos, Spallumcheen and Grand Forks.
Infants under six months are particularly at risk from drinking well-water bearing excessive nitrates.
Nitrates reduce the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. In severe cases this can cause babies to turn blue.
Immediate medical attention is necessary, because this serious condition can become fatal for these infants. (Older children and adults do not appear to be affected.)
Nitrate levels in well water tend to be highest in heavily-farmed areas. Fertilizer applications and animal manure are the principal sources of nitrates, which sink down into the water table from which well water is taken.
Septic tanks can also increase nitrate levels.
Since infants are most at risk, breast-feed your child if at all possible.
Never give your baby well water, or mix infant feeding formula with well water that hasn't first been tested safe for nitrate levels.
Have your well water tested months BEFORE your baby is born.
NOTE: Boiling your water will NOT eliminate nitrates, it will CONCENTRATE them. And most counter-top filtration units will not screen out nitrates. There is no substitute for having your water tested!
Your local Environmental Health Officer or Public Health Nurse at Regional Health Units can tell you which areas are likely to be at risk for nitrate groundwater contamination.
If you decide that your well water needs to be tested for nitrates, you can have a detailed analysis of your drinking water carried out by a private laboratory.
Laboratories which provide this service can be found in the Yellow Pages under Laboratories - Analytical.
Your Environmental Health Officer may also be able to give you a list of labs in B. C. which test drinking water. The analysis may also look for unacceptably high levels of coliform bacteria.
NOTE: most laboratory tests for nitrates give their results in milligrams of nitrate-nitrogen, where the maximum recommended level is 10 milligrams per litre (mg/L).
However, if the laboratory test measures the level of actual NITRATE, rather than the level of NITRATE-NITROGEN, then the Canadian Guidelines recommends a maximum of 45 milligrams per litre of nitrate.
If you get your water tested and are not sure how to read the results, please call the environmental health division of your local health unit or health department.
For more information on wells and quality well water, see:
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