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To determine if your well water is safe for an infant to ingest, you must be diligent by doing the following:
Sample your well regularly: This is the only way to know for sure that your well water is safe to drink.
Know that your well is properly constructed: A poorly built well has an increased risk of being contaminated.
Ensure there are no sources of contamination nearby: Learn about how a well can get contaminated and make sure there are no sources near your well.
Being a good steward of your well is the only way that you can know if your well water is safe for your entire family, including the baby, to drink.
What do I need to know about nitrate in well water if I have a baby?
It is important to note that the one real risk for babies under a year old is nitrate. If you are drinking water that has nitrate, which is fairly common, especially in agricultural areas, and the nitrate levels are higher than background levels, it can be a concern.
Nitrate can form nitrite in the body, and in babies, their stomachs may not be acidic enough to break it down. This can lead to a condition called Methemoglobinemia, or blue baby syndrome, where nitrite binds to oxygen in the blood. Therefore, it is recommended to test your well water for nitrate and ensure that the levels are within safe limits for your baby’s health.
Additional Resources
Nitrate and Methemoglobinemia. 2018. Minnesota Department of Health.
Well Water and Your Baby. 2019. Minnesota Department of Health.
Want to learn more about your private well and how to care for it?
Sign up for the free 10-week email course from PrivateWellClass.org. The class is a project of RCAP and the University of Illinois, with funding from USEPA.
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