Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Nitrite

Whitworth Water District 2

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.

 

12

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND30ND
2019ND20ND
2020N/A00N/A
2021ND10ND
2022ND50ND
2023ND10ND

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
2018-05-21ND
2018-05-21ND
2018-05-21ND
2019-06-18ND
2019-06-21ND
2021-05-174117274ND
2022-04-214271877ND
2022-05-184284648ND
2022-05-314294015ND
2022-06-274309799ND
2022-07-144309806ND
2023-04-274452165ND