Nitrates in Carterton’s drinking water have been flagged as an emerging risk by the council in its Long-Term Plan [LTP] document.
The Carterton District Council [CDC] document says epidemiological studies have shown there may be a link between nitrates in drinking water and a range of adverse health outcomes including colorectal cancer, congenital anomalies, preterm births, and childhood cancer.
However, the evidence base is not conclusive as to whether the link is causal or coincidental, it says.
“In those studies that found an association, the concentration of nitrates in drinking water associated with bowel cancer were about the same as obtained from Carterton’s drinking water from Frederick Street Water Treatment Plant,” the council document said.
