Who is drinking nitrate in their well water?
- Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States). Dept. of Public Health
This study evaluated the health risks for a rural northeastern Oregon population which is exposed to high nitrate levels in well water. The study also identified possible sources of nitrate contamination, and investigated measures the resident had taken to reduce their nitrate exposure from well water. Three data sets were used in the study, including a telephone survey of the residents, existing information collected by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality about well water nitrate concentrations, and demographic information from census records. Results revealed that 23% of the surveyed population was drinking well water that contained nitrate in excess of the 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen maximum contaminant level adopted by the US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. Seventy-two percent of the households with nitrate levels exceeding the 10 ppm level did not use devices that effectively remove nitrates. The population included few women of childbearing age, and was generally older than other nearby urban or rural populations. Resident infants were not exposed to well water nitrate in excess of the 10 ppm level, and were therefore not at apparent risk for methemoglobinemia (blue-baby syndrome). Although the risk of infant methemoglobinemia was low in this area, it is recommended that alternative water sources be explored, and that follow-up monitoring be performed by state and/or local agencies.
- OSTI ID:
- 395100
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Environmental Health, Vol. 59, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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