Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Bedford 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.

 

17

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.0500 ppm21ND - 0.1000 ppm
2019ND10ND
20200.00508 ppm41ND - 0.0203 ppm
2021ND40ND
20220.0253 ppm43ND - 0.1000 ppm
2023ND40ND

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
2019-12-042L90210-01ND
2020-02-112B00243-040.0203 ppm
2020-05-062E00230-01ND
2020-08-112H00238-01ND
2020-11-112K00293-01ND
2021-02-092EB0230-03ND
2021-05-112EE0335-01ND
2021-08-182EH0501-01ND
2021-11-162EK0509-01ND
2022-02-082FB0228-010.1000 ppm
2022-05-112FE0410-01ND
2022-08-092FH0317-010.000156 ppm
2022-11-092FK0343-010.000846 ppm
2023-02-082GB0256-01ND
2023-05-092GE0407-01ND
2023-08-152GH0529-01ND
2023-11-142GK0368-01ND