Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Town of Combes

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.

 

8

Samples

1

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019N/A00N/A
20200.1000 ppm110.1000 ppm
2021N/A00N/A
20220.587 ppm31ND - 1.76 ppm
20230.0175 ppm41ND - 0.0700 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
2020-10-06AF295970.1000 ppm
2022-07-25AG058971.76 ppm
2022-08-04AG07718ND
2022-12-05AG20574ND
2023-02-02AG26976ND
2023-05-18AG409640.0700 ppm
2023-08-03AG51198ND
2023-10-18AG60173ND