Nitrite

Columbia Water Company

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.

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Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Range of results
2013	N/A	0	N/A
2014	ND	1	ND
2015	ND	3	ND
2016	ND	6	ND
2017	ND	6	ND
2018	ND	6	ND
2019	ND	7	ND

ppm = parts per million

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

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
2014-04-14	2001683001	ND
2015-04-13	12722986	ND
2015-07-08	13109178	ND
2015-10-14	13484923	ND
2016-02-15	13958642	ND
2016-04-04	14073904	ND
2016-04-04	14073902	ND
2016-04-13	14217676	ND
2016-07-11	14701101	ND
2016-10-10	15195409	ND
2017-02-16	15762024	ND
2017-04-04	15903718	ND
2017-04-10	16058763	ND
2017-04-17	16058786	ND
2017-07-10	16531792	ND
2017-10-09	16993013	ND
2018-03-13	2301714001	ND
2018-04-02	2306477001	ND
2018-04-02	2306466001	ND
2018-04-18	2310011001	ND
2018-07-02	2324156001	ND
2018-10-01	2341769001	ND
2019-02-11	9012797-01	ND
2019-04-01	9040045-01	ND
2019-04-01	9040021-01	ND
2019-04-01	9040024-01	ND
2019-04-09	9040046-01	ND
2019-08-07	9081447-01	ND
2019-10-07	9100014-01	ND