Global health organisations urge WHO to update decades-old drinking water nitrate standards

Eighty-five global health and environmental organisations called on the WHO on Tuesday to revise its drinking water nitrate standards.

The current WHO limit of 50 milligrams per litre was established in 1958 primarily to prevent blue-baby syndrome.

The open letter argues that the outdated guidelines fail to account for recent epidemiological evidence linking chronic low-level nitrate exposure to colorectal cancer.