T1es tmg By Durhamn Region Public Health Inspection and Nutrition Services TodaY, Durham residents need not fear dehydration from a lack of driztkable water as the ancient mariner did. Our -modern water treatments s"stems provide us with adequate supplies of water which meet or exceed established safety standards. Private water supplies, such as wells, can be thoroughY tested te ensure that thewaLr is safeto drnk StilI,' questions arise when feeding. very young infants, questions which warrant a dloser look at. al water supplies. Available water supplies in Durbain Region includ treated municipal water, private wel water, commercially bottled water,. and water colected from a Ulie springs like the Chalk e pring on Durham Road 23 in Uxbridge. Residents of Newcastle, Oshawa, Whitby,% Ajax, or Pickering, whose source of treated water is from Lake Ontario, can be assured that their tap water meets ail chemical and bacteriological standards. If there isan question regarding the qualty of wataer, boiing the water for five minutes as part of the normal sterilization process may provide added assurance to concerned parents. After the age of four months, when infants are beginning te chew on toys and roll or crawl on floors, sterile techniqe are difficult to justify. Residents depending on private wells for their water affpply should have their water tested for bacteriological contamination and nitrate levels. Four tips te assure a safe well water supply are: 1. Ensure,your well is properly constructed' and located te prevent eind direct entry of surface water. 2. Take 3-4 seasonal bacteriologecal water samples from your bouse and cottage. 3. TLake a sample if your well has been subjected to flooding. 4. Always take a saznple fiom a newly constructed or renovated Weil. Bacteriologically safe drinking water, when tested by the public health laboratory, wiil be reported as 0 coliforms and 0 fecal coliforms per 100 nL. Any laboratory report showing leevels above O indicates contamination of the water'source. Your area public health inpetor can assiet you in locating te source of the contamination, but in the meantime, boil your drinking water before use. Nitrate levels are of particular concerni in very yroung infants (less than three months of age) and in those up to one year of age suffering from diarrhea. The, presence of nitrates, which are converted to nitrites in the presence of coliformi bacteria, can cause methemoglobinemia. The nitrates oidize the iron of hemoglobin, resulting in the formation of methemoglobin which is incapable of carrying oxygen. Infants are most susceptible te methemo- globineinia because fetal hernoglobin is more readily oxidized than aduit hemoglobin. If a private water supply is being used, parents should be advised te have the water tested. If the nitrate levels are greater than 10 mgIL, the maximum acceptable concentartion recommended in the 1983 Ontario Drinking Water Objectives, the water should not be used for drinling of formula preparation, for infants under six months of age. thie Alternative suggestions are another source of water or ready-tofeed formula. Boiling water in an attempt te, purify it will not remove the nitrates,, but wvill concentrate their level and increase the hazard. Another concern is that of the lead content of water which bas been sitting in the pipes overnight or longer. In recently constructed homes, the lead in the solder surrounding the pipe joints can leach ir.te the water during the hours wten water is not beîng used. When preparing infant. féedings, flushing the taps for five minutes in the morning wili aileviate this probleni. After a bouse renches the age of two te three, the calcium de-posits inside the pipes will prevent lead from leacbing into the water. AIse, building cock, regulations have been recently cbanged se that new homes under construction will have pipes joined with one low-lead-content solder. Commercially bottled water varies widely in its exact mineral content. Types of commercially bottled water include spring, distilled and minerai water. WnMY~ MRE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8,1990, PAGE 25 wvaters Sterile spring or distiled watei containing littie added mineralE is satisfactory, but mineraI water is not recommended because il increases the renal solute load When the renal solute, load is increased, a young baby'skIddneys are overworked. Many residénts in Durbamn Region collect water for drining froni the Chalk Lake Spring on Durham Road 123 in Uxbridge. Because any spring is an unprotected source of water, they cannot be approved, for drining. However,' public health inspectors in the Uxbridge office take weekly bacteriological, samples and chenucal testing (including that for nitrates) is conducted twice yearly. For information regarding the waters'scurrent level of safety, contact the senior public health inspecter at 852-9161 in Uxbridge. When travelling with young infants, the safety of water supplies in other locations is important. Within North America, municipal water supplies can be used with the same precautions as those used at home. Prvate water supplies should have been recently tested, and if water is being taken directly fromn a lake or streamn (cottagers, carnpers beware!), the water should be brought te a boil and continued boiling for ten minutes. When travelling outside North America, a wide range of health precautions (e.g. immunizations) inclucling safety of water supply should be considered. The bottom lime is if you're unsure of the water's realibility, boil it for ten minutes. Note: Water is by far the best source of additional fluids for infants. Altbough fruit juice has become a popular substituts for wvater, the feeding of fr-uit juice te r infants under six months of age is B unnecessary. Older infants, rparticularly those able te drin tfroni a cup, should be given two . ounces ofjuice diluted with two te 3 four ouncès of water. 3 The use of fr-uit juice bas become so prevalent (often due te Lthe parents'mistrust of the water 'r supply) that cbildren have Ldeveloped chronic non-specific diarrhea. One furiJier word of caution is that honey and corn syrup sbould not be used to sweeten water because of the potential presence of spores which cause botulism, a serious, often lethal, type of food poisoning. Parents who insist on sweetening water should be encouraged to use smail quantities (1 tsp/100 niL) of powdered dextrose or table sugar instead. For more information .regarding the safety of water supplies, contact a public healith inspecte at your local Department of Heaith Services. Infant feeding practices and recommendations May be discussed with the nutritionist in the Oshawa office (723-8521). Burgiaries at White Oaks apartmens Durham Regiona1 Police are mnvestigating a series of bur- are ta Wbitby apartinent Police say nine apartments at 100 and 101 White Oaks Ct., were broken into early last week. 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