Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

City of Lancaster

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.

 

30

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND50ND
2019ND50ND
2020ND50ND
20210.0260 ppm51ND - 0.130 ppm
2022ND50ND
2023ND50ND

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
2018-03-082300842001ND
2018-05-242316804002ND
2018-05-242316804001ND
2018-07-262328643001ND
2018-11-082349170001ND
2019-02-283019392001ND
2019-05-013031190001ND
2019-05-013031190002ND
2019-07-173046049001ND
2019-10-093062760001ND
2020-02-2721801280.00ND
2020-04-3022169824.00ND
2020-04-3022169498.00ND
2020-07-0222563533.00ND
2020-11-0523494878.00ND
2021-02-2524016477.00ND
2021-05-1324591308.000.130 ppm
2021-05-1324591306.00ND
2021-07-1524976896.00ND
2021-12-0925902426.00ND
2022-01-0626078055.00ND
2022-05-1226798713.00ND
2022-05-1226798821.00ND
2022-07-2827189382.00ND
2022-10-0627599142.00ND
2023-01-2628308174.00ND
2023-04-2028856098.00ND
2023-05-0429057574.00ND
2023-07-1229452141.00ND
2023-11-1630206505.00ND