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WHO urged to revise drinking water nitrate standards by 85 organizations

World Health Organization nitrate contamination drinking water standards agricultural pollution public health

A coalition of 85 international health and environmental organizations, including Greenpeace International, the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), and the European Environmental Bureau, has issued an open letter calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to revise its drinking water nitrate standards.

The current WHO guidelines, which set the maximum acceptable nitrate level at 50 mg/L (or 11.3 mg/L as nitrate-nitrogen), were established in 1958. While these standards were designed to prevent “blue-baby syndrome,” the coalition argues they are outdated and fail to account for modern epidemiological evidence.

Recent studies suggest that chronic exposure to nitrate levels significantly lower than the current limit is linked to increased risks of colorectal cancer, premature births, and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. The organizations noted that hundreds of millions of people globally are exposed to elevated nitrate levels, often resulting from intensive agricultural practices such as the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers and livestock waste.

The coalition also highlighted findings from a Danish expert committee, which recommended reducing the international limit to 6.0 mg/L to better protect public health. Because many nations use WHO guidelines as the basis for their own domestic water quality regulations, the group emphasizes that an update to the international standard is critical for global health protection.

Entities

European Environmental Bureau · Greenpeace International · Pratyush Kumar · World Health Organization · World Organization of Family Doctors

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Hơn 80 tổ chức kêu gọi WHO xem xét lại giới hạn nitrat trong nước uống [baogialai.com.vn]
Des ONG demandent à l'OMS de revoir ses normes sur les nitrates dans l'eau [defimedia.info]
منظمات صحية وبيئية تدعو منظمة الصحة العالمية لخفض حد النترات في مياه الشرب [arabic.euronews.com]
Gesundheits- und Umweltverbände fordern WHO: Nitratgrenzwert im Trinkwasser senken [de.euronews.com]
Organisations santé-environnement pressent l'OMS de revoir la limite de nitrates de l'eau potable [fr.euronews.com]
Egészségügyi és környezetvédő szervezetek kérik a WHO-t: csökkentse az ivóvíz nitrát-határértékét [hu.euronews.com]
Organizzazioni chiedono all'OMS di ridurre il limite di nitrati nell'acqua potabile [it.euronews.com]
Greenpeace urges WHO to update decades-old drinking water guidelines over nitrate health risks [livenews.co.nz]
Vì sao hàng chục tổ chức kêu gọi WHO sửa đổi tiêu chuẩn nước uống? [thanhnien.vn]
WHO urged to review drinking water standards amid nitrate health fears [thefrontierpost.com]
Zastarané normy z roku 1958: WHO čelí tlaku, aby drasticky znížila povolené dusičnany vo vode [www.topky.sk]
Des ONG demandent à l'OMS de revoir ses normes sur les nitrates dans l'eau potable [www.rfi.fr]