Blue babies and nitrate-contaminated well water

The use of nitrate-contaminated drinking water to prepare infant formula is a well-known risk factor for infant methemoglobinemia. Affected infants de velop a peculiar blue-gray skin color and may become irritable or lethargic , depending on the severity of their condition. The condition can progress rapidly to cause coma and death if it is not recognized and treated appropr iately. Two cases of blue baby syndrome were recently investigated. Both ca ses involved infants who became ill after being fed formula that was recons tituted with water from private wells. Water samples collected from these w ells during the infants' illnesses contained nitrate-nitrogen concentration s of 22.9 and 27.4 mg/L.