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Water Quality Association offers nitrate resources

In-home products certified for nitrate removal are listed on wqa.org

LISLE, Ill. – The Water Quality Association provides resources to answer questions over a new report that indicates the drinking water of half a million Minnesotans has elevated levels of nitrate, a chemical linked to cancer. WQA recommends consumers have their water tested by a certified laboratory and use water treatment products independently certified to remove or reduce levels of nitrates as a final barrier solution at their home.

The report issued today by the Environmental Working Group assembles five streams of state and federal data to estimate the number of Minnesotans affected. WQA has not independently verified the numbers in the study.

Nitrate contamination can come from various sources, including fertilizers, manure, septic systems and natural decomposition of organic matter, so it is most often found in rural areas. People served by private wells are at an increased risk, because while the EPA’s Safe Water Drinking Act regulates public drinking water systems, it does not regulate private wells, so it is up to the well’s owner to make sure its water is potable.

For more information, WQA offers a technical fact sheet on nitrate/nitrites online or a more consumer-friendly version here.

WQA recommends using a certified water-testing lab to check your drinking water; the EPA provides a list here. To find a Minnesota water quality professional who can help you, check out wqa.org/find-providers or check with the Minnesota Water Quality Association for its members.

Three technologies -- ion exchange, distillation, and reverse osmosis -- are considered to be practical and economically feasible for nitrate removal in the home. Search WQA’s database of Gold Seal-certified products for specific products certified to NSF/ANSI 58, 53, and WQA S-300 for nitrate/nitrite reduction.

WQA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry. WQA’s education and professional certification programs have been providing industry-standardized training and credentialing since 1977. The WQA Gold Seal certification program has been certifying products that contribute to the safe consumption of water since 1959. The WQA Gold Seal program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).

 

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