62M Americans Exposed to High Nitrate Levels in Water
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- Environmental Working Group conducted the first nationwide review of nitrate levels in public water systems, identifying 6,114 systems with elevated nitrates affecting 62 million people between 2021 and 2023
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has maintained the legal limit for nitrates at 10 milligrams per liter since the 1960s, despite research linking levels as low as 5 milligrams per liter to cancer and birth defects
- Anne Weir Schechinger authored the Environmental Working Group report and stated the scale of nitrate contamination—impacting over 62 million Americans—was unexpectedly high
- Trump administration dismantled the EPA division responsible for advancing a nitrate review process that began under the Biden administration, halting progress on potential standard updates
Why it matters: 62 million people are exposed to water with nitrates at levels tied to serious health risks, yet the legal limit remains unchanged since the 1960s. The Trump administration’s elimination of the EPA review division blocks updates, leaving current standards out of step with science and placing long-term public health at risk.
