Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Knoxville Water Works

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.

 

27

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
20190.180 ppm21ND - 0.360 ppm
2020ND30ND
20210.0517 ppm61ND - 0.310 ppm
20220.0750 ppm82ND - 0.430 ppm
2023ND80ND

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
2019-07-171G91492-02ND
2019-07-171G91492-010.360 ppm
2020-04-151D01147-01ND
2020-07-081G00676-01ND
2020-07-081G00676-02ND
2021-04-141ED1362-01ND
2021-05-051EE0325-01ND
2021-07-071EG0598-01ND
2021-07-071EG0598-02ND
2021-10-201EJ2171-010.310 ppm
2021-10-201EJ2171-02ND
2022-01-041FA0159-010.430 ppm
2022-01-041FA0159-02ND
2022-04-061FD0497-01ND
2022-04-061FD0497-02ND
2022-07-131FG1255-010.170 ppm
2022-07-131FG1255-02ND
2022-10-191FJ1802-01ND
2022-10-191FJ1802-02ND
2023-01-111GA0889-01ND
2023-01-111GA0889-02ND
2023-04-051GD0369-01ND
2023-04-051GD0369-02ND
2023-07-121GG0990-01ND
2023-07-121GG0990-02ND
2023-11-011GK0122-02ND
2023-11-011GK0122-01ND