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(Des Moines, IA) -- Iowa regulates drinking water quality, monitoring for contaminants such as nitrates. The federal safety standard is ten parts per million, but new research suggests even lower levels may not be safe.
“One of my studies out of Iowa, research out of California, and research out of Europe show that exposure to drinking water with levels below that safe threshold is associated with increased risk of preterm birth and lower birth weight,” said Jason Semprini, a researcher at the Des Moines University Medical School Department of Public Health.
He tells WHO Radio News that even five parts per million could have health impacts.
Another researcher, Dr. David Cwiertny, a biochemical engineer at the University of Iowa, says high nitrate levels can be deadly for infants.
“If an infant is drinking formula prepared with high-nitrate water, they can suffer oxygen deprivation and turn blue from the lack of oxygen,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control also says nitrates may be linked to gastrointestinal and thyroid cancers in adults.
Nitrate levels at Central Iowa Water Works have been just over seven parts per million in recent weeks, still below the federal safety limit of ten.