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SW: →Baby blues: full title
In late 2003, Alex was back on the case. In an article published on the [[Heartland Institute]]'s website, Alex stated that "nitrate levels in drinking water are regulated for one reason only: to prevent blue baby syndrome, medically known as infantile methemoglobinemia," he wrote. "That regulation is costing U.S. communities and homeowners hundreds of millions of dollars per year, and the cost is increasing," he wrote, demanding that Congress should demand the National Research Council institute a scientific review of the nitrate level.<ref>Alex Avery, [http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=13700 "Nitrate Alarmists Cost Consumers Plenty"], ''[[Environment & Climate News]]'', Heartland Institute, December 2003.</ref>
Associate director at the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination, University of Iowa, Peter Weyer, expressed his concern when Avery's paper was first published. "The potential long-term health impacts and related costs to society could be staggering. Rather than relaxing the MCL, we should be working towards preventing contamination of water supplies by nitrate (whatever the source) as a prudent effort towards reducing potential risk to the public's health," he wrote.<ref>Peter Weyer, [http://web.archive.org/web/20020516031531/http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/newsletter/99-3leoletter/99-3nitrate.html "Should we worry about nitrate in our water?"], The Leopold Centerfor Sustainable Agriculture, May 16, 2002.</ref>
The National Center for Appropriate Technology argued that Avery's argument had major flaws. "While the nitrate in contaminated water does not appear to cause methemoglobinemia, it can certainly affect the severity of an attack, by increasing the amount and concentration of nitrates and nitrites the body must contend with. Excess nitrates have been associated with other health problems for both humans and livestock, including questions regarding its carcinogenic and teratogenic effects", he wrote.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010909223113/http://www.ncat.org/nutrients/hypoxia/herrings.htm "Blue Babies and Red Herrings"], National Center for Appropriate Technology, archived from September 9, 2001.</ref>
