Lake Superior Turning Toxic: Nitrate Levels on the Rise

Scientists state that Lake Superior's nitrate level is rising and has increased about five fold since the early 1900's and that the increase has been steady. So what does that mean for the lake and those around it?

Well, nitrate is a salt that comes from nitric acid, and we all know that nitric acid is that highly corrosive and toxic acid that can cause severe burns. Nitrate within freshwater can cause death of fish and inhibit growth, as well as impair the immune system and cause stress to most species of aquatic life.

Nitrate is also a by product of septic systems, simply put, its what is left after the break down of animal or human waste.

Nitrate is a natural constituent of plants and is found in vegetables at varying levels depending on the amount of fertilizer applied and on other growing conditions. According to the World Health Organization, most adults ingest 20-70 milligrams of nitrate- nitrogen per day with most of this coming from foods like lettuce, celery, beets, and spinach. When foods containing nitrate are eaten as part of a balanced diet the nitrate exposure is not thought to be harmful.

However, scientists state that Lake Superior is about 2.7 % away from the nitrate levels being high enough to contaminate the water supply.

If highly contaminated nitrate water is consumed, it can cause a lot of health effects. Infants for example can suffer from a condition where the skin begins to appear a bluish gray or lavender in color which is caused by lack of oxygen going into the blood. If this condition is not treated, the infant may go into a coma or possibly die. Also, nitrate contaminated water what is drunk by woman that are pregnant are more likely to have babies with birth defects because it would lower the amount of oxygen to the fetus.

Adults that are consuming these contaminated waters for a long period of time may increase the risk of certain types of cancers, as well as lung and or cardiovascular disease.

These underlying health affects are a major concern because Lake Superior contains 10 percent of the Earth's supply of surface fresh water. However, because of the vast size of Lake Superior, the lake registers changes slowly and normally converts other forms of nitrogen within its waters into nitrate.

2.7% doesn't seem a long way away from drinking water advisories, and this data gives this situation more attention. The rise in the nitrate levers have been continuously raising over the last century at a steady rate. However, because of the complexity of the causes that are underlying the increase of the nitrate levels, it makes it difficult to predict when exactly the lake's water might become unhealthy.

If the nitrate level does get to the toxic levels, the water supplier in that area must take the steps to reduce the amount of nitrate by using treatment methods such as Ion exchange, Reverse Osmosis, and or Distillation to remove the nitrates. All of these methods are types of purification steps available.

Ion Exchange introduces another substance, normally chloride, to trade places with the nitrate in the water. Reverse Osmosis on the other hand, forces the water under pressure through a membrane to filter out the contaminants, and last but not least, Distillation. Distillation boils water, then catches and condenses the steam while the nitrate and other minerals remain in the boiling tank.

Nitrate is easily dissolved in water; however it is very difficult to remote and very expensive. If you are in an area where you believe that the water is contaminated by nitrate, do not try to use any type of simple household treatments such as boiling, filtration, disinfection and or water softening to try to remove the nitrate from the water yourself, doing any of these simply processes will actually increase the nitrate concentration in the water that is remaining.

If you are unsure of your water supplier or would like to investigate to see if your area has ever or is under watch for contamination, check the following website for details.

http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/findings.php

In conclusion, I think this alert gives us all a chance to stock up on bottled water while it is still clean!