
‘Only A Matter Of Time' Before A Baby Is Harmed Due To Nitrate Contamination, Warns Greenpeace
This is the second town to make headlines by exceeding nitrate levels in the town water supply in the last year, with Canterbury's Glenavy township exceeding the MAV (maximum allowable value) in December last year. The MAV was set in the 1960s to prevent methemoglobinemia, or Blue Baby Syndrome, which can be fatal.
Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says "It's only a matter of time before we see a baby harmed in New Zealand due to consuming formula mixed with nitrate contaminated water. It is absolutely unacceptable that rural communities are unable to drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap - and this is happening more and more frequently."
"The main source of this contamination is the intensive dairy industry - in particular, the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. To avoid the risk to life that is posed by nitrate contamination, we need to stop the pollution at the source, and that means implementing a sinking cap on the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
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"However, the Luxon Government is doing the opposite. Rather than changing our laws to protect freshwater, Chris Bishop is implementing a freshwater pollution plan. He is weakening the national direction on freshwater, and removing the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use.
"We know that the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is causing nitrate contamination, and already towns in rural areas like Canterbury and Southland are facing the consequences of this, with undrinkable water. Removing limits on fertiliser use will worsen the drinking water crisis - and it's only a matter of time before it proves to be dangerous."
There are several health risks associated with nitrate levels much lower than the current maximum allowable value of 11.3 mg/L. Long term exposure to nitrate contaminated water above 1 mg/L has been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer. At levels above 5 mg/L, the New Zealand College of Midwives recommends that pregnant people consider finding another source of water, due to an increased risk of preterm birth.
Gore's water supply tested at 11.4 mg/L of nitrate on Friday. Nitrate cannot be removed by boiling drinking water, so those with high levels of nitrate must find an alternative water source or invest in costly reverse osmosis filters.
Greenpeace says that the best way to reduce harm done by nitrate pollution in the long-term is to regulate the source of the pollution.
"We're calling on this Government to make decisions that will protect rural communities' access to safe drinking water, and prevent the health impacts that are known to arise from nitrate contamination," says Appelbe.
"New Zealanders overwhelmingly want clean water in lakes, rivers, and their kitchen taps - it's time for Luxon to deliver."
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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Drinking water still a risk: Greenpeace
Greenpeace says Gore is not out of the woods yet in regards to nitrate in the water, but the council says levels are going down all the time and are of acceptable standard. Greenpeace said in a statement it had tested a sample collected from the Gore town supply, which returned a result above 5mg/L nitrate (NO3-N), a level associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Above this level of nitrate, the New Zealand College of Midwives recommends pregnant people consider finding another source of water because of the increased risk of preterm birth. The sample was collected on Wednesday and tested with an optical spectrometer, which is standard equipment for testing nitrate in the field, and followed the organisation's standard testing procedures which have been externally reviewed by GNS science. While the township's do-not-drink notice has been lifted, Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe says there was still a risk to public health. Gore issued a do-not-drink notice last Friday after the town supply exceeded the maximum allowable value (MAV) of 11.3mg/l for nitrate. It recorded 11.4mg/l. Greenpeace said the limit was set in the 1950s to avoid blue baby syndrome, but it did not take into account the more recent health science that has linked several health risks with long-term exposure to nitrate at levels below the current legal limits, including bowel cancer and preterm birth. "We know the source of this pollution. It's the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in intensive dairy farming, led by Fonterra and their lobbyists at Federated Farmers." Gore District Council critical services general manager Jason Domigan said the Water Services Act required all councils to provide water that was safe by meeting current drinking water standards. That set the MAV of nitrate at 11.3mg/l. This is in line with World Health Organisation guidelines, an international standard, and has, in recent years, been through various levels of scrutiny through parliament and the national drinking water regulator Taumata Arowai. He said since the sample on Friday, July 18 of 11.4mg/l, the council had seen a continuous decline in the nitrate concentrations at the East Gore Water Treatment Plant. Accredited laboratory results showed these were at 5.88mg/l at noon on Thursday. "The council will continue to monitor through additional sampling over the coming weeks as we calibrate new nitrate probes installed at Coopers Well and the East Gore Water Treatment Plant." — APL


Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Drinking water still a risk:Greenpeace
Greenpeace says Gore is not out of the woods yet in regards to nitrate in the water, but the council says levels are going down all the time and are of acceptable standard. Greenpeace said in a statement it had tested a sample collected from the Gore town supply, which returned a result above 5mg/L nitrate (NO3-N), a level associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Above this level of nitrate, the New Zealand College of Midwives recommends pregnant people consider finding another source of water because of the increased risk of preterm birth. The sample was collected on Wednesday and tested with an optical spectrometer, which is standard equipment for testing nitrate in the field, and followed the organisation's standard testing procedures which have been externally reviewed by GNS science. While the township's do-not-drink notice has been lifted, Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe says there was still a risk to public health. Gore issued a do-not-drink notice last Friday after the town supply exceeded the maximum allowable value (MAV) of 11.3mg/l for nitrate. It recorded 11.4mg/l. Greenpeace said the limit was set in the 1950s to avoid blue baby syndrome, but it did not take into account the more recent health science that has linked several health risks with long-term exposure to nitrate at levels below the current legal limits, including bowel cancer and preterm birth. "We know the source of this pollution. It's the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in intensive dairy farming, led by Fonterra and their lobbyists at Federated Farmers." Gore District Council critical services general manager Jason Domigan said the Water Services Act required all councils to provide water that was safe by meeting current drinking water standards. That set the MAV of nitrate at 11.3mg/l. This is in line with World Health Organisation guidelines, an international standard, and has, in recent years, been through various levels of scrutiny through parliament and the national drinking water regulator Taumata Arowai. He said since the sample on Friday, July 18 of 11.4mg/l, the council had seen a continuous decline in the nitrate concentrations at the East Gore Water Treatment Plant. Accredited laboratory results showed these were at 5.88mg/l at noon on Thursday. "The council will continue to monitor through additional sampling over the coming weeks as we calibrate new nitrate probes installed at Coopers Well and the East Gore Water Treatment Plant." — APL