The study covers over 850,000 Danish births over 20 years. According to the researchers, it emphasizes the need to discuss a lower limit value for nitrate in drinking water.
The project is led by Professor Torben Sigsgaard from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University and Ph.D. Vanessa Coffman of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
– The study shows declining birth weight when the woman is exposed to nitrate levels even well below the EU limit value of 50 milligrams of nitrate per liter of water. Our focus is therefore to have a renewed discussion of whether the limit value for nitrate should be changed globally, says Torben Sigsgaard.
According to the study, babies born to mothers whose drinking water contains between 25 and 50 milligrams of nitrate per liter – that is, from half the applicable limit value and up to the maximum limit – on average 10 grams less and are slightly shorter than babies born to mothers with less nitrate in the tap.
– The difference in body length and weight may sound small. But it is not insignificant if the newborn also starts life as underweight for other reasons. And low birth weight is known to have a lifelong impact on human health and development, says Torben Sigsgaard.
Nitrate in drinking water is also suspected to be to blame for other chronic diseases. Such as bowel cancer, as was detected at as low as about four milligrams of nitrate per liter of drinking water in a study from Aarhus University in 2018.
Therefore, according to senior consultant Claus Vangsgård from the large waterworks’ organization, Danva, the new study is a new argument for the authorities to take the limit value for nitrate up for assessment.
– For three years now, there has been a known link between nitrate in drinking water and bowel cancer without any reaction. This points in the same direction. So now we should consider whether the limit value is correct, he says.
He especially calls for focus in the so-called nitrate belt from Djursland and up towards Aalborg, where the nitrate content in drinking water is particularly high.
“In addition, control of the up to 100,000 private wells that the previous government removed control from should be reintroduced,” he said.
Source: The Nordic Page