Nitrates in Your Water: What Charlotte Residents Need to Know
At Artisanal Water Solutions, we’re committed to keeping Charlotte families safe and informed when it comes to their water quality. One concern that often flies under the radar is nitrates in drinking water—a colorless, odorless contaminant that can pose serious health risks, especially for infants and vulnerable populations.
What Are Nitrates?
Nitrates are naturally occurring compounds made up of nitrogen and oxygen. While they’re found in small amounts in the environment, elevated levels in your water supply are often a red flag. These compounds are commonly used in fertilizers and can seep into groundwater through agricultural runoff, leaking septic systems, or improper waste disposal.
How Do Nitrates Get Into Charlotte’s Water?
Charlotte and the surrounding areas are known for both urban development and rural farmland. These mixed-use zones can create a perfect storm for nitrate contamination. Rainfall can wash fertilizer from lawns and farms into rivers and lakes or allow it to percolate into underground aquifers. Once in the water supply, nitrates can remain unnoticed without proper testing and filtration.
Why Nitrate Contamination Matters
High levels of nitrates in drinking water can lead to serious health risks. The most well-known is “blue baby syndrome” (methemoglobinemia), a condition in which infants are unable to get enough oxygen in their blood. Adults with certain health conditions and pregnant women are also at increased risk.
Even at lower concentrations, long-term exposure to nitrates has been linked to other health concerns, including potential effects on the thyroid and increased cancer risks.
Are Nitrates Absorbed Through the Skin?
The good news is that nitrates are not absorbed through the skin, so they do not pose a risk during bathing or showering. However, this doesn’t eliminate the need for concern when it comes to your drinking and cooking water.
How to Remove Nitrates from Your Water
Standard water softeners or carbon filters won’t remove nitrates. Instead, effective treatment methods include:
- Artisanal Water Elite Reverse Osmosis System
- Specialty Ion Exchange Units for whole house
For comprehensive protection, whole house water filtration systems can be installed to address a variety of contaminants, including nitrates. These systems ensure that every tap in your home delivers cleaner, safer water—though it’s the water you ingest, not bathe in, that requires the most attention regarding nitrates.
Protect Your Family with a Professional Water Assessment
The first step in addressing nitrate contamination is testing. At Artisanal Water Solutions, we offer free water quality assessments for Charlotte-area homes. If nitrates—or any other harmful substances—are present, we’ll help you select the right treatment solution for your family’s specific needs
If you’re interested in clean water in your home – schedule a free, no-obligation in-home water analysis with an Artisanal Water local expert.
Call (704) 315-6344 or fill out our contact form.
