Lumsden Water Supply Nitrate Contamination Above Preterm Birth Risk Level
by Greenpeace · SCOOPGreenpeace is warning pregnant people against drinking from the Lumsden water supply, following nitrate testing on Sunday which revealed that the town’s water was testing at 6.14 mg/L of nitrate (NO3-N) on average.
Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe says, "This is a public health crisis. Pregnant people in Lumsden who are drinking this water are at an increased risk of preterm birth, and everyone who drinks from this water supply for a long period of time is at an increased risk of developing bowel cancer."
Greenpeace testing in 2023 revealed that the town supply was over 4 mg/L of nitrate. In the last three years, the town supply has increased by approximately 2 mg/L, putting it above the 5 mg/L threshold associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, and well above the 1 mg/L threshold associated with an increased risk of bowel cancer.
The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends that pregnant people exposed to drinking water nitrate above 5 mg/L ‘consider accessing an alternative water source’.
"Rural communities like Lumsden deserve so much better. They shouldn’t be having their water supply contaminated while rich dairy CEOs in Auckland get to drink safe, clean water," says Appelbe.
"They are effectively drinking poisoned water."
"This is an outrage - we are talking about basic human rights being breached here. About 15% of New Zealanders could be exposed to nitrate contaminated water that is making them sick. Many don’t even know about it. The dairy industry has a lot to answer for."
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Greenpeace is calling on district councils to make their nitrate test results publicly available.
Appelbe says, "Gore and Selwyn District Council have already started publishing their nitrate level test results. It’s not difficult. Other councils need to follow suit as soon as possible. It’s just common sense."
"More action is needed, and it should have started a long time ago. Monitoring nitrate levels and informing the public of risk is the bare minimum.
"But ultimately, we need to stop nitrate from getting into the drinking water in the first place. That means reducing the size of the dairy herd, and phasing out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, because urea and cow urine are the primary sources of nitrate contamination."
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