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EWG's Tap Water Database — 2021 UPDATE

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Nitrite

Suez Water Delaware

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.

 

9

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2014ND30ND
2015ND10ND
2016ND10ND
2017ND20ND
2018ND10ND
2019ND10ND

ppm = parts per million

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

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
2014-12-22S553970ND
2014-12-22S553971ND
2014-12-22S553972ND
2015-12-30S659016ND
2016-12-28S694836ND
2017-09-07S637305ND
2017-09-28S738652ND
2018-01-18S769242ND
2019-09-09S869179ND