Water is polluted with nitrates in a third of the wells in the Khmelnytsky region

In some of them, the nitrate content exceeded the standards by more than five times.

In the Khmelnytsky region, water from almost a third of the investigated wells is polluted with nitrates and is unsafe for consumption. Experts of the Khmelnytsky Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine concluded.

In total, in 2022, they have already examined 248 samples of water from wells. 80 or 32.2% of the samples did not meet the requirements of SSan PIN 2.2.4-171-10 "Hygienic requirements for drinking water intended for human consumption".

According to information from the Khmelnytsky OCDCP, the quality of water was studied according to sanitary-chemical and microbiological indicators.

Experts paid more attention to wells for individual use, from which children under three consume water. After all, cases of poisoning babies with infant formulas that were prepared with low-quality drinking water from wells have already been recorded in Ukraine.

Research results showed that:

• in the Khmelnytsky district, nitrates in some wells exceeded the standards by more than five times; 
• in the Yarmolynetsk territorial community, the indicator was 2.9 times higher than the norm;
• in Teofipol district – 2.3 times higher;
• in the Izyaslav territorial community of the Shepetiv District, the nitrate content in the tested wells exceeded the norm by 2.5 times;
• in some places of the Kamianets-Podilskyi district, nitrate concentrations in the water exceeded the acceptable values by 5.3 times.

In view of such data, the Khmelnytskyi OCDCP warned to consume water only from proven sources of centralized and decentralized water supply.