Studies linked nitrates in drinking water, at levels well below the current WHO limit, to bowel cancer and premature births. (Envato Elements pic)GENEVA: Dozens of global health and environmental organisations called on the World Health Organization on Tuesday to revise decades-old standards for nitrate levels in drinking water, arguing they do not reflect recent scientific evidence about potential health risks.
In an open letter, 85 organisations, including Greenpeace International and the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), called on the United Nations health agency to include nitrate in an upcoming review of its drinking water guidelines.
The toxic effects of nitrates - a residue left behind by intensive farming - are widely recognised as particularly dangerous for children and pregnant women.
