Tip 26: Don’t Wonder about What’s in Your Water

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Tip 26: Don’t Wonder about What’s in Your Water

Dr. Harvey Karp

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Babies and children drink much more per pound of body weight than adults do, so their exposure the what's in the water is greater. That's why the water you drink, if you are breast-feeding, or that you are giving to your child, whether in bottles of formula or in a sippy cup, should be as pure as possible.

Unfortunately, water is easily contaminated by a variety of hazardous substances, such as: lead in your water pipes, bacteria, fertilizer or pesticides. Drinking water is also the main source of nitrate exposure in infants.

Your public water company is required to regularly test the water they deliver to your tap for eight contaminants and report their findings to the EPA and the state (they should send you an annual report on their testing results as well). For more facts, check to see if your public water provider has posted their report.

If you are among the 40 million Americans who get their water from a private well, then only you can provide your baby the protection necessary from potential pollutants in your water.

Take these First Steps to ensure that your water is safe for your baby:

1. Have the water from your tap tested each year. Contact the Environmental Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791. This is a private company contracted by the EPA to supply names of state certification officials. They will have a list of certified labs that meet EPA standards. If your water is contaminated, the hotline can provide you with important information to help you protect your baby.

2. Have your water tested for nitrates. Boiling water prior to mixing formula is not a safe practice with nitrate-contaminated water because boiling tends to increase nitrate concentrations.

3. If you find you have lead in your water from old pipes, flush the lead out of the pipes by running the water for a minute in the morning. Click here for more information on lead pipes and other contaminants in drinking water.

Learning what is in your tap water is the first step towards insuring the safest water for your baby. If you haven't had a chance to test your water, check your Consumer Confidence report, which comes with your water bill. You can also do so by sending a sample to a lab for independent testing.

Enjoy these precious days.

Dr. Harvey Karp
Pediatrician and Healthy Child Board member

If you are an expecting or new mom, enroll in our First Steps program that helps guide you through your prenatal months up to the second year of your child's life with advice from the nation's leading pediatrition, Dr. Harvey Karp, and other Healthy Child Healthy World experts.