ข้อที่ 1.

British tourists going abroad are often advised to drink only boiled or bottled water. The few occasions when I have ignored this have been followed by expensive visits to the doctor’s. Now it seems visitors to Britain may soon be given a similar warning. At present, we take for granted our endless supply of fresh, clean tap-water, but this may alter unless farmers can be persuaded to change the fertilizers they use. These fertilizers contain nitrates, which also occur naturally and are essential to life, but are poisonous in excess. It is the farmers who are responsible for the dangerous increase in the amount of nitrates absorbed into our water supply. As it is very difficult and expensive to remove nitrates from our drinking water, the authorities believe that the nitrates should be prevented from getting into our water in the first place. This, they say, is the farmers’ responsibility. While changing farming methods may well reduce the amount of crops we grow, the expense of importing food will probably be less than that of purifying the water. What warning may visitors to Britain soon be given?