In January, citizens of Fremont, Ohio, were warned for the third time in less than six months that their drinking water contained high concentrations of nitrate.

Nitrate (NO3) is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It’s found naturally in the environment, and it’s harmless in small amounts. However, when large amounts of nitrates from agricultural operations and waste dumps contaminate drinking water, they make the water dangerous. In the body, nitrate is converted to nitrite, which can reduce oxygen supplies to organs like the brain. This is especially dangerous for infants. Nitrate levels of 10 mg/l or higher can cause methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome,” in which the ability to utilize oxygen is reduced.

Nitrate levels in the water of Fremont, OH, were found to be 11.3 mg/l, and officials issued an advisory and warned that infants under the age of 6 months should not be given tap water.

Symptoms of blue baby syndrome include blue skin (especially around the eyes and mouth), shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, and headache. If you suspect methemoglobinemia, take the baby to the hospital immediately. If left untreated, blue baby syndrome may cause permanent brain damage or death.

Elevated levels of nitrates in drinking water have also been linked to thyroid problems, increased risk for birth defects, increased risk of diabetes, and increased mortality rates for several different types of cancer.

Protect your water from nitrate contamination by using home water filters.

The Charleston Daily Mail reports that an Associated Press investigation found contaminants in school water supplies at public and private schools in all 50 states. The study found unsafe levels of lead, pesticides, and other toxins.

“It’s an outrage,” said Marc Edwards, water quality expert at Virginia Tech. “If a landlord doesn’t tell a tenant about lead paint in an apartment, he can go to jail. But we have no system to make people follow the rules to keep school children safe?”

Schools with well water have the worst contamination. According to EPA data, roughly 1 in 5 schools with their own water supply have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The Associated Press of EPA data found:

• Water in 2,250 schools across the nation breached federal safety standards.
• Those schools had more than 5,550 separate violations.
• In 2008, the EPA recorded 577 violations – up from 59 in 1998.
• California, which has the most schools of any state, also recorded the most violations with 612, followed by Ohio (451), Maine (417), Connecticut (318), and Indiana (289).
• Nearly half the violators in California were repeat offenders. One elementary school in Tulare County, in the farm country of the Central Valley, broke safe water laws in 20 instances.
• The most frequently cited contaminants were coliform bacteria, lead, copper, arsenic, and nitrates.

Dr. Gina Solomon, a San Francisco physician who serves on an EPA drinking water advisory board, said, “This tells me there is a widespread problem that needs to be fixed because there are ongoing water quality problems in small and large utilities as well.”

It’s not just the water in schools that is contaminated. Water in homes and offices is contaminated, too. But children are more sensitive to the effects of contaminants. Toxic chemicals in water can alter their development.

Many parents have started sending their children to school with their own non-toxic, reusable stainless steel water bottles so that they don’t have to drink from school fountains.

To keep your children safe, invest in a home water filter, and bottle your children’s water at home.