Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Grape Hammock

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.

 

8

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND10ND
2020ND10ND
20210.0170 ppm21ND - 0.0340 ppm
2022ND10ND
2023ND10ND

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 Result
2018-06-26ND
2018-08-15ND
2019-12-30ND
2020-09-18ND
2021-07-15ND
2021-09-160.0340 ppm
2022-09-22ND
2023-09-20ND