Nitrite

Fort Belknap Water Supply Corporation

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	Detections	Range of results
2014	0.203 ppm	3	1	ND - 0.610 ppm
2015	0.0437 ppm	6	1	ND - 0.262 ppm
2016	0.288 ppm	4	2	ND - 0.654 ppm
2017	0.0330 ppm	4	1	ND - 0.132 ppm
2018	0.191 ppm	4	3	ND - 0.420 ppm
2019	0.0136 ppm	4	1	ND - 0.0543 ppm

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
2014-06-09	Q1420056003	ND
2014-08-13	Q1436359002	ND
2014-08-13	Q1436359001	0.610 ppm
2015-03-04	Q1508359001	ND
2015-03-04	Q1508359005	ND
2015-03-04	Q1508359004	ND
2015-06-22	Q1523137002	0.262 ppm
2015-09-24	Q1537464001	ND
2015-12-08	Q1548662001	ND
2016-03-22	Q1611825002	ND
2016-06-08	Q1623032005	0.496 ppm
2016-09-22	Q1639472001	0.654 ppm
2016-12-05	Q1652533001	ND
2017-03-09	Q1710224004	ND
2017-05-17	Q1720295001	ND
2017-09-05	Q1740834001	0.132 ppm
2017-11-21	Q1759653001	ND
2018-02-27	Q1808120002	ND
2018-05-10	Q1819423002	0.132 ppm
2018-08-20	Q1833241003	0.420 ppm
2018-11-15	Q1846723001	0.211 ppm
2019-02-14	Q1907063002	ND
2019-05-23	Q1928389003	0.0543 ppm
2019-09-17	Q1966248001	ND
2019-12-02	Q1978411001	ND