DailyYonder.com
Residents in Wabasha County, Minnesota are seeing elevated levels of nitrate in their groundwater. With each periodic test, the nitrate concentration increased until it surpassed the EPA’s safety standard of 10 parts per million in 1990 and eventually climbed to 22 ppm.
Drinking water with high levels of nitrate can cause methemoglobinemia or “blue baby syndrome,” a potentially life-threatening condition affecting the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Nitrates also have been linked to thyroid disease and certain cancers.