Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrate and nitrite

North Slope Borough - Point Lay

Nitrate and nitrite enter water from fertilizer runoff, septic tanks and urban runoff. These contaminants can cause oxygen deprivation for infants and increase the risk of cancer. Nitrite is significantly more toxic than nitrate. Click here to read more about nitrate.

 

10

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND10ND
2019ND50ND
2020ND10ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND10ND
2023ND10ND

ppm = parts per million

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.14 ppm

The EWG health guideline of 0.14 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrate and nitrite is based on the equivalent health guideline for nitrate, as defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG. This guideline represents a one-in-one-million annual cancer risk level.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 10 ppm

ppm = parts per million

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-06-27IN*PEF42010ND
2019-03-274241736ND
2019-03-27PEF48211ND
2019-06-13PEF50510ND
2019-08-13PEF52381ND
2019-11-05PEF54615ND
2020-01-21PEF55994ND
2021-12-07PEF72368-NO3ND
2022-07-06PEF77253-NO3ND
2023-08-09PEF87850-NO3ND