Are nitrates in drinking water harmful?

You cannot taste, smell, or see nitrate in water. Consuming too much nitrate can be harmful—especially for babies. Consuming too much nitrate can affect how blood carries oxygen and can cause methemoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome).

What does nitrate do to the human body?

These nitrites in the blood cause changes in hemoglobin, or the molecules that help move oxygen in the body. Nitrates can make it so that less oxygen is available for the body to function properly.

What does it mean if you have high nitrates in your water?

High levels of nitrate in water can be a result of runoff or leakage from fertilized soil, wastewater, landfills, animal feedlots, septic systems, or urban drainage. It can be difficult to pinpoint where the nitrate in drinking water comes from because there are many possibilities.

Can nitrates in water make you sick?

Ingesting water with high levels of nitrate/nitrite can make people sick. Private drinking water sources (e.g., wells, dugouts, springs) can sometimes contain unsafe levels of nitrates/nitrites. If a baby drinks water with high nitrate/nitrite levels or it’s used to make formula, it might cause blue baby syndrome.

Can humans get nitrate poisoning?

People can become nitrite-poisoned in many different ways. Misuse or excessive use of any medicine or product containing nitrates, whether unintentionally or intentionally, can lead to poisoning. Poisoning can result from swallowing, inhaling, or even skin contact.

How much nitrate is toxic to humans?

The oral lethal dose for humans was estimated to range from 33 to 250 mg of nitrite per kg of body weight, the lower doses applying to children and elderly people. Toxic doses giving rise to methaemoglobinaemia ranged from 0.4 to 200 mg/kg of body weight (WHO, 1996).

How much nitrate is safe in drinking water in ppm?

The safe level for nitrate in drinking water is 10 parts per million (ppm). Drinking water with nitrate above 10 ppm is unsafe. A single exposure above 10 ppm can affect a person’s health.

Who nitrate drinking water?

The maximum contaminant level (MCL) for nitrate in public drinking water supplies in the United States (U.S.) is 10 mg/L as nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N). This concentration is approximately equivalent to the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 50 mg/L as NO3 or 11.3 mg/L NO3-N (multiply NO3 mg/L by 0.2258).

Does bottled water have nitrates?

The allowable concentration for nitrate-nitrogen in bottled water is 10, or 45 mg/L total nitrate (FDA 1998). FDA regulations require that bottled waters that exceed allowable concentrations of nitrate must have information on the label saying ‘Contains Excessive Nitrate’.

Who nitrate guidelines for drinking water?

Can nitrates be removed from drinking water?

Nitrate may be successfully removed from water using treatment processes such as ion exchange, distillation, and reverse osmosis. Contact your local health department for recommended procedures. Heating or boiling your water will not remove nitrate.

Does nitrate affect pH?

Higher nitrate concentrations can lower the pH, making the water more acidic. Most aquatic life can only tolerate a pH from 6-9, but if pH fluctuates out of this range, it could signal either a change in nitrate concentration or a change in dissolved carbon dioxide concentration.