Blue baby syndrome is major concern with nitrate levels in Lower Umatilla Basin
By Terry Murry on Friday, September 1st, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Testing continues on well water in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area due to high nitrate levels. Umatilla County Public Health Director Joseph Fiumara said that the top health concern due to nitrate poisoning is methemoglobinemia, better known as blue baby syndrome.
“Infants typically will actually start to get tinges of blue around their lips and their eyes and their fingertips,” Fiumara said. “The essentially can suffocate while breathing.”
He added that UCo Health has no reports of blue baby syndrome in the LUBGWAMA and wants to make sure it stays that way.
Parents should take anyone with the unusual skin tone to a hospital immediately. Health officials say a medication called methylene blue will quickly return their blood to normal. Bottled water should be used to prepare formula and food for infants. Boiling water, while it can kill bacteria, may actually increase the nitrate level in the water because nitrate doesn’t evaporate.
