Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Westbrook

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.

 

29

Samples

2

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
20180.278 ppm440.0400 ppm - 0.750 ppm
20190.193 ppm440.0200 ppm - 0.380 ppm
20200.295 ppm440.0600 ppm - 0.640 ppm
20210.103 ppm440.0200 ppm - 0.290 ppm
20220.656 ppm98ND - 1.88 ppm
20230.293 ppm43ND - 0.630 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
2018-02-1318B0724-010.750 ppm
2018-05-1518E1263-010.240 ppm
2018-07-3118H0050-010.0400 ppm
2018-10-2318J1205-010.0800 ppm
2019-03-1219C0538-010.330 ppm
2019-05-1419E1096-010.380 ppm
2019-07-3019G2194-010.0200 ppm
2019-10-3019J1752-010.0400 ppm
2020-02-1120B0639-010.420 ppm
2020-04-2720D0895-010.640 ppm
2020-10-2720J1462-010.0600 ppm
2020-10-2820J1612-010.0600 ppm
2021-01-1321A0492-010.0200 ppm
2021-04-2121D1224-010.0200 ppm
2021-08-1721H1445-010.290 ppm
2021-10-2621J1447-010.0800 ppm
2022-02-2322B1372-011.32 ppm
2022-02-2522B1421-010.960 ppm
2022-02-2522B1421-020.810 ppm
2022-05-1722E1399-01ND
2022-06-0722F0502-011.88 ppm
2022-06-0922F0682-010.1000 ppm
2022-06-0922F0682-020.0900 ppm
2022-08-2422H2270-010.360 ppm
2022-12-0622L0245-010.380 ppm
2023-02-0823B0566-010.150 ppm
2023-04-0423D0137-010.630 ppm
2023-09-1223I0592-01ND
2023-10-1823J0994-010.390 ppm