The AnswersThatWork Blog - December 2007 - Nitrate Levels in your Drinking, Bottled, Mineral, Source or Spa Water

The AnswersThatWork Blog

Wednesday, 19th December 2007

Nitrate in your drinking water

This last month of the year 2007 we will concentrate on useful "Life tips". Some will be about computing, but most will simply be those useful little "Life tips".

Today : Nitrate levels in drinking water. Did you know you should pay attention to the nitrate levels of any drinking water you buy ? If not, then read this from the Colorado State University or this from the Washington State Department of Health.

Most of us assume that Mineral Water (Source Water / Spring Water / Spa Water) is automatically "good for us", but that is not necessarily so. Some are better than others and, crucially, some of the world's best known Mineral Water brands are not as good on Nitrate levels as lesser known brands.

My doctor has given me a good rule of thumb when buying Mineral Water : look for a Nitrate level of no higher than 2.0.

In the UK, Volvic, the French Source Water brand, is superb on it's Nitrate levels — 1.0 to less than 1.0. And so are many Scottish highlands or Welsh bottled spring water brands. Evian, on the other hand.... well, check the bottles yourself !

Now — do you want to laugh? The other day, while working late at a client's office, I stopped in a store here in London and picked up a bottle of spa water from Spain, read the label, and... nearly dropped the bottle : Nitrate Level 50 !!!!!!!!!! Dearie me — this is akin to repackaged sewage water sprinkled with fertilizers and manure !

Note : there are over 170 bottled water brands in Spain, so treat this story purely as an isolated example, but nevertheless as an example of why you should always read the label — Do not assume Bottled Spa Water is automatically good for you !

Happy Drinking !

—— (TUT) SpaceMan