Nitrates are a tasteless and odorless chemical that is often found in our drinking water. You need special equipment just to detect them. Nitrates come from feces. They get into our water from runoff from sewage facilities, livestock farms, and even golf courses and gardens where the plants are treated with fertilizer.
The danger of nitrates in our drinking water comes from when we digest it. In our digestive system, nitrates are transformed into nitrites. Nitrites oxidize the iron in our blood cells. The result is the creation of methemeglobin, which lacks the oxygen of hemoglobin.
In layman’s speak, that means that our blood isn’t able to carry and transfer oxygen like it’s supposed to. Luckily, adults have an enzyme that is able to convert methemeglobin back to hemoglobin rapidly. But infants under 6 months old do not have this enzyme!
The syndrome that infants can develop from too many nitrates in their drinking water is called Blue Baby Syndrome. Technically it’s called methemoglobinemia. It is as disturbing as it sounds. The baby is not getting oxygen all over its body and it turns blue! As you can imagine, this is a serious problem.
For this same reason, pregnant women also should be concerned about nitrates. Even a small level of nitrites can interfere with a developing baby.
Adults aren’t completely off the hook either. Water that has nitrates at greater than 10 mg per liter can be harmful to adults. There is a point where our bodies can’t produce enough enzymes to fix our blood. When this happens, drinking too many nitrates can actually be a cancer risk. Further studies need to be done to know exactly how much nitrates are harmful to adults.
The EPA says that nitrates need to be kept under 10 mg per liter to be safe. But if you have infants under 6 months old, it’s best to remove all the nitrates from your drinking water. Water for Life USA Water ionizers use a 16 stage filtration system that will remove the nitrates from your drinking water.
As a new mother or father, having an advanced filtration system from our water ionizers will give you peace of mind. As an adult, why risk it? If there’s any chance that nitrates could cause you cancer, why not get the best water filtration system and get them all removed? Plus, you’ll get all the health benefits of alkaline, ionized water.
