Nitrates in Water Supply: The Health Risks And How Can You Protect Yourself?
Water is the source of life, not just for humans but for every aspect of the world we live in, from keeping our homes clean to supporting ecosystems, agriculture and industries. However, with a growing population and industry, contamination and pollution cause clean water supply to be scarce. Unfortunately, due to this, nitrate in water has become a significant concern, with amounts found in water sources increasing across the nation.
There are many consequences of nitrate in our drinking water, specifically impacting our health, particularly babies and young children. This makes purifying water more important.
At Culligan Zerowater, we provide water filters that help you reduce nitrate in your tap water by as much as 98%. In this blog, we share everything you need to know about the contaminant in your water and discuss what steps you can take to reduce it as much as possible.
What is Nitrate?
Nitrate is a naturally occurring chemical compound that is made up of nitrogen and oxygen.
It is a vital compound for plant growth, so is commonly added to soil and water for growing plants.
However, while important for plants, it can be extremely harmful to humans when consumed at high levels.
How Do Nitrates Get Into Water?
There are a few ways that nitrates get into our water supply.
Natural sources of the compound include the decomposition of organic matter in soil or nitrogen fixation by bacteria in the soil or water.
We have also created sources of nitrate.
Fertilisers used in agriculture are a major source of nitrate in water, not to mention waste from septic tanks, manure storage, industrial and urban runoff and even wastewater and sewerage discharge.
Effects of Nitrate on Water
The UK standard, based on the World Health Organisation's guidelines for drinking water, is 50 mg/L. Anything more than that can negatively affect our health.
One of the major causes of nitrate in our bodies is Methemoglobin. Our blood contains Haemoglobin, which is responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. When nitrates are present, it converts Haemoglobin to Methaemoglobin, making it much more difficult to transport oxygen.
Of course, we all know the impact of reduced oxygen in our bodies and brains.
This impact is enhanced for babies, and in the UK, it has been a major cause of infant mortality. High levels of nitrate in babies cause what is known as "Blue Baby Syndrome", where their Haemoglobin is converted into Methaemoglobin, reducing oxygen in their body and causing them to turn blue.
On top of this, pregnant women have been severely affected by Methaemoglobin. When carrying a child, oxygen transfer is critical for both the mum and baby's health. While pregnant, the body is putting energy into other functions to help develop the baby; this means it doesn't have the same energy levels as a non-pregnant person to convert the Methaemoglobin into a state that can be used throughout the body.
There is also a growing concern for the links between nitrates in water and cancer. It is believed that nitrates in the body or food form harmful by-products called nitrosamines. These are recognised to be carcinogenic, causing DNA damage and mutations that increase the risk of cancer.
Specifically, these nitrosamines have been linked to:
- Gastrointestinal cancers
- Liver cancer
- Bladder cancer
How Do I Manage Nitrate In Drinking Water?
Water is the main source of nitrate for humans, so you should be looking to reduce it in water sources to reduce the levels of it in your body.
One way you can do this is to buy bottled water, but this can be expensive and doesn't guarantee a reduction of nitrate in water.
In the UK, most people use distillation to purify water. This is an old method, and there is a risk of leaving some nitrate traces that might end up in your drinking water.
The better way is to use a water filter jug or dispenser, which will filter the water, reducing the contaminants that you are drinking.
Culligan ZeroWater offers one of the most cost-effective jugs in the market, and they come as low as £25, making handling the challenge of removing nitrates easy.
Our water filter jugs and dispensers use a five-stage ion exchange filter that helps soften your drinking water, reducing the amount of nitrate in water by up to 98%. So you can be confident when drinking tap water that it is safe.
In addition to nitrates, our water filters reduce other contaminants such as calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and other total dissolved solids.
Order your water filter jug today, and sign up for our subscription for replacement water filters to be delivered to your door when you need them.
Stay healthy by removing nitrates in water with Culligan Zerowater filters.
