Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Carthage

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
2018ND40ND
2019ND20ND
2020ND10ND
20210.0390 ppm220.0250 ppm - 0.0530 ppm
20220.240 ppm440.0500 ppm - 0.808 ppm
20230.0125 ppm41ND - 0.0500 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
2018-02-05180200098ND
2018-04-09180400294-001_002ND
2018-07-09180700269ND
2018-11-12181100345ND
2019-06-10190600287-001ND
2019-06-10190600288-001ND
2020-06-01200600060ND
2021-06-08210600365-0010.0530 ppm
2021-10-12211000421-0010.0250 ppm
2022-01-13220100341-0010.808 ppm
2022-04-26220400867-0010.0500 ppm
2022-07-06220700146-0010.0500 ppm
2022-10-05221000225-0010.0500 ppm
2023-01-12230100486-0010.0500 ppm
2023-05-05230500284-001ND
2023-07-27230701179-001ND
2023-10-05231000349-001ND