A new study from researchers at Canterbury, Otago, and Massey universities has revealed that nitrate contamination in drinking water could be responsible for up to 120 premature births a year in New Zealand, at levels much lower than New Zealand’s legal health limit.
Greenpeace campaigner Will Appelbe says the intensive dairy industry, led by Fonterra, should be held responsible.
“When will Fonterra face up to the hundreds of families every year that have to deal with premature births thanks to the dairy industry’s nitrate pollution?”
“It is a national disgrace that these babies are born prematurely because Fonterra has poisoned rural drinking water with nitrate contamination. The dirty dairy industry is putting our children’s health at risk, and it’s still expanding.
“This research is just the latest in a series of studies indicating that there are significant health impacts associated with nitrate pollution. International studies have linked nitrate contamination at levels much lower than New Zealand’s legal limit to health risks including bowel cancer, and preterm birth.”
Studies have shown that in New Zealand up to 100 cases of bowel cancer a year, and 40 deaths, could be caused by nitrate contamination in drinking water. Up to 800,000 people in New Zealand are exposed to levels of nitrate that are potentially harmful.
“We need to stop nitrate pollution at the source. That means regulating the intensive dairy industry, and limiting the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser that can be applied to the land,” says Appelbe.
The Danish Government recently announced that it would set lower limits for nitrate in drinking water, and regulate the intensive livestock industry, in response to high levels of pollution in drinking water. Greenpeace says it’s time for New Zealand to do the same.
Appelbe says, “Everyone, no matter where they live, should be able to take a drink from their kitchen tap without getting sick. It’s a fundamental human right. New Zealand should be acting in line with the most up-to-date science, and lowering the nitrate limit to protect rural communities’ health – both now, and for generations to come.”
Call on the Government to lower the limit for nitrates in drinking water to safe levels.
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