City of Columbus issues tap water nitrate advisory for parts of downtown and west central Ohio
OhioHealth committed to keeping patients, visitors and associates at affected facilities safe
Updated 7/5/16: The nitrate advisory is now lifted for central Ohio
On June 30, the Columbus Division of Water issued a nitrate advisory for parts of downtown, west and southwest Columbus; Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, Lincoln Village, Marble Cliff, Upper Arlington, Urbancrest and
Valleyview. The advisory affects OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, several physician offices and certain OhioHealth Neighborhood Care locations.
Infants below the age of six months, pregnant women and breastfeeding women are advised not to drink tap water. Additionally, tap water should not be used to make infant formula, juice or baby cereal.
Boiling water is not an option as it increases the nitrate levels in tap water. Therefore, OhioHealth will be providing bottled water to our patients who fall within the impacted groups, such as our Mother/Infant units. Additionally, meals that do not require tap water in the preparation are being prepared for patients in the at-risk categories at Grant and Doctors Hospitals.
About Nitrate
Healthy adults and older children can consume higher levels of nitrate because they have fully developed digestive systems. Nitrate is commonly consumed by older children and adults as it is contained in many foods such as processed meats and lettuce.
Nitrate is only a concern for those at risk if ingested by eating or drinking. It is not absorbed through the skin. 
Michael Ezzie, MD, director of medical education at Grant, spoke with NBC4 reporter Olivia Fecteau about nitrate and how OhioHealth is keeping at-risk patients safe. You can watch the interview above.
Monitoring the Situation
The Division of Water will continue to monitor the Dublin Road plant water supply on a regular basis, provide updates on nitrate levels in this water supply, and notify us when the advisory may be lifted. You may remember a similar water advisory was issued last year. That advisory lasted two weeks.
Advisory Area Map
