{"id":69705,"date":"2025-04-14T08:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T20:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=69705"},"modified":"2025-04-14T08:55:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T20:55:50","slug":"babies-at-risk-due-to-nitrate-contaminated-drinking-water-ashburton-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/press-release\/babies-at-risk-due-to-nitrate-contaminated-drinking-water-ashburton-district\/","title":{"rendered":"Babies at risk due to nitrate-contaminated drinking water in Ashburton District"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Greenpeace Aotearoa says that it is deeply concerned about the safety of drinking water in the Ashburton District after close to one in five bore water samples tested for nitrate at the beginning of April exceeded levels linked with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/freshwater\/nitrate-contamination-in-drinking-water-what-you-need-to-know-and-some-frequently-asked-questions\/\">blue baby syndrome<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>The organisation says that this is indicative of a failure by Environment Canterbury to protect drinking water from contamination.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says, \u201cEnvironment Canterbury has a responsibility to protect Cantabrians, and they are failing in their duty by allowing drinking water contamination to exceed the Government\u2019s maximum standards for nitrate contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Two samples tested were just over double the level of nitrate permitted in drinking water &#8211; a standard set in the 1950s to prevent Blue Baby Syndrome. However, this standard doesn\u2019t capture other serious health risks associated with nitrate-contaminated drinking water.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Almost half of all bore water samples tested at Greenpeace Aotearoa\u2019s Ashburton town hall water testing event in early April were above 5 mg\/L of nitrate, a level linked to an increased risk of preterm birth. The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends pregnant people consider avoiding water above 5 mg\/L for nitrate. A sample from the Hinds town supply also tested at 6.55 mg\/L.<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s unacceptable that these communities have such high levels of nitrate in their drinking water, and it\u2019s particularly concerning for pregnant people and small babies, whose health could be at risk,\u201d adds Appelbe.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cEverybody, no matter where they live, should be able to drink the water from their kitchen tap without worrying about getting sick. This is a present and looming public health crisis for Mid Canterbury.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that longer-term exposure to drinking water above 0.87 mg\/L can increase the risk of bowel cancer. Greenpeace tested 27 samples from the Ashburton town supply, with a mean level of 2.06 mg\/L.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cSafe drinking water is a fundamental necessity for life, and it\u2019s alarming that rural communities are dealing with such dangerously high levels of nitrate contamination in their water.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cIntensive dairying is the main source of nitrate pollution in Canterbury &#8211; with nitrate from dairy cattle urine and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser leaching into drinking water supplies. The solution is clear &#8211; we need a phase out of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and to transition to more sustainable forms of agriculture that don\u2019t pollute the lakes, rivers and aquifers.<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cEnvironment Canterbury must take action. Local body elections are approaching later this year, and people in the Ashburton District are ready to demand their elected representatives take action to address this drinking water crisis,\u201d says Applebe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\t\t\t<section\n\t\t\tclass=\"boxout post-63558 \"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Image\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"cover-card-overlay\"\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/hands-off-fresh-water-protections\/\" \n\t\t\t><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/04\/fab9b8ae-luxon-hands-off-freshwater-protections-1-1024x535.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/04\/fab9b8ae-luxon-hands-off-freshwater-protections-1-600x314.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/04\/fab9b8ae-luxon-hands-off-freshwater-protections-1-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/04\/fab9b8ae-luxon-hands-off-freshwater-protections-1-768x401.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/04\/fab9b8ae-luxon-hands-off-freshwater-protections-1-510x266.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/04\/fab9b8ae-luxon-hands-off-freshwater-protections-1.jpg 1200w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 358px, (min-width: 780px) 313px, 88px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"\" title=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n            \t\t\t<div class=\"boxout-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"boxout-heading medium\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Title\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/hands-off-fresh-water-protections\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPETITION: Hands off the water protections\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"boxout-excerpt\">Call on Christopher Luxon to leave New Zealand\u2019s freshwater protections alone<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t                                    <a\n                        class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n                        data-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n                        data-ga-action=\"Call to Action\"\n                        data-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n                        href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/hands-off-fresh-water-protections\/\"\n                        \n                    >\n                        Add my name\n                    <\/a>\n                \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greenpeace Aotearoa is deeply concerned about the safety of drinking water in the Ashburton District due to nitrate contamination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":49534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[22,23],"p4-page-type":[7],"class_list":["post-69705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greenpeace","tag-freshwater","tag-health","p4-page-type-press-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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Peter Trolove from the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers doing nitrate testing of water. Staff and volunteers from Greenpeace Aotearoa offered free water testing for nitrate in communities in Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand. These communities have high levels of intensive dairying. The overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and the urine from dairy cows causes nitrate contamination in drinking water supplies. 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