Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Earlham Municipal Waterworks

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.

 

5

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
20190.114 ppm110.114 ppm
20200.113 ppm110.113 ppm
20210.0130 ppm110.0130 ppm
2022ND10ND
20230.0783 ppm110.0783 ppm

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
2019-07-31BP310980.114 ppm
2020-07-08BV946610.113 ppm
2021-08-04CC607450.0130 ppm
2022-08-03CI63024ND
2023-08-02CP679990.0783 ppm