Nitrates

Nitrate levels in water are usually elevated due to effluent seepage or through fertilisers and whey leeching into the groundwater. Nitrates at elevated levels can cause a health disorder called Methaemaglobinaemia (blue baby syndrome) and very young infants under 6 months of age are especially vunerable. Nitrate is not in itself harmful, but it can be transformed into nitrite in the stomach, which binds strongly to infant haemoglobin, thus interfering with respiration by limiting oxygen transfer, causing babies to turn blue.  In extreme cases this can be fatal to infacnts under 6 months old, and can affect the health of adults.

Normal water purification does not remove nitrates and a spectific nitrate selective filter is required. Nitrate removal is usually only required for drinking water and is available in countertop or underbench models, with larger systems available for other applications, such as racing horses, etc. For very high levels of nitrates, a Reverse Osmosis system is recommended.  A nitrates filter can be added onto any existing filtration system that you may already have.

Please contact us for information and recommendations to suit your requirements.
(Phone 0800 746 744 Tollfree NZ).