Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Henlopen Acres, Town of

Nitrite, closely related to the fertilizer chemical nitrate, comes from urban runoff and from fertilizer applied to agricultural lands to pollute drinking water. Nitrite is significantly more toxic than nitrate. Excessive nitrite in water can cause oxygen deprivation in infants and increase the risk of cancer.

 

22

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND50ND
2019ND10ND
2020ND30ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND10ND
2023ND110ND

ppm = parts per million

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 1 ppm

The legal limit for nitrite, established in 1991, was based on the rate of conversion of ingested nitrate into nitrite in adults. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to nitrite exposure.

ppm = parts per million

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-06-12S800007ND
2018-07-10S792578ND
2018-07-10S799762ND
2018-08-06S799957ND
2018-09-19S824549ND
2019-02-25S856228ND
2020-02-10S932599ND
2020-04-10S943646ND
2020-05-22S944004ND
2021-10-26S1117603ND
2022-06-22S1209192ND
2023-01-05S1256475ND
2023-02-15S1150241ND
2023-03-14S1272136ND
2023-04-13S1271000ND
2023-05-02S1150500ND
2023-06-12S1277381ND
2023-07-25S1298533ND
2023-09-26S1304889ND
2023-10-17S1314485ND
2023-11-06S1314672ND
2023-12-20S1314087ND