Residents of Nahanni Butte are being advised to not drink water from their taps by the chief public health officer after high levels of manganese were found in the community's water supply.
"Infants, children under five, and pregnant women should not drink the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 tap water," said Health and Social Services communications manager Andrew Wind on July 16. "Long-term exposure of high levels of manganese can cause neurological effects in young children."
Wind said the reason for the dangerous levels of the element was due to a failure in the community's old water treatment process. He noted a new system has been installed that should decrease manganese levels in the coming months.
He added the CPHO would lift the advisory when the water levels have returned to safe levels.
In the interim, the CPHO is recommending infants, children under five and pregnant women use bottled water for all drinking, cooking and other forms of ingestion, including making ice cubes and baby formula. Adults and children who are older than five should take precautions as well, though their risk of damage is lower. Tap water can still be used for washing and bathing but parents should take precautions infants and children under five should not swallow the water.
Wind noted that boiling water or using a standard Brita filter will not make the water safe SA国际影视传媒� boiling water may in fact increase the concentration of manganese. He said there are three methods recognized by the Standards Council of Canada that can remove the element: reverse osmosis, ion exchange/water softeners and oxidizing filters.
Manganese is an element that enters the environment from soil and rock erosion and is a vital part of good health in the right dosage. However, too much or too little of it can lead to health problems.
