All articles tagged with #nitrate contamination
Data centers operated by Amazon in Morrow County, Oregon, are linked to increased nitrate levels in drinking water due to poor wastewater management and soil conditions, potentially causing higher rates of cancer and miscarriages among residents. Amazon disputes these claims, but local advocacy groups highlight the slow response to the crisis, which affects a vulnerable population.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that drinking water in eight counties in Minnesota has unsafe levels of nitrate contamination, posing an "imminent and substantial" threat to public health. The EPA has requested that Minnesota develop a plan to protect residents affected by the contaminated water, including providing alternative drinking water. The state has 30 days to respond with a work plan addressing testing, outreach, and offering alternative water to impacted individuals. The Karst Region, which includes Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona counties, is particularly susceptible to groundwater contamination due to agricultural runoff and faulty septic systems exacerbated by climate change.
Families living along County Road B in Minnesota have experienced an unusually high number of cancer cases, which they attribute to elevated levels of nitrates in their well water. Nitrates, commonly found in runoff from fields treated with commercial fertilizer and livestock manure, have been linked to increased incidences of cancer in several medical studies. The groundwater in the area has the highest levels of nitrates in Dodge County, and wells used by the affected families contained nitrate levels well above the safe limit. The issue of nitrate contamination in drinking water is not limited to this region, as many states in the US farm belt also face similar concerns. The evidence linking nitrates to cancer continues to grow, with studies suggesting that even lower concentrations of nitrates than the federal drinking water standard can pose health risks.