Nitrate in the yard and garden
Moderate risk for your yardNot medical, veterinary, or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified professional — consult one. Full disclaimer →
Safety profile for Nitrate relevant to people, pets, and pollinators.
What is nitrate?
The IUPAC name is nitrate ion.
Also known as: nitrate ion, Nitrates, Nitrate(1-), trioxonitrate(1-).
- IUPAC name
- nitrate ion
- CAS number
- 14797-55-8
- Molecular formula
- NO3-
- Molecular weight
- 62.0 g/mol
- SMILES
- [N+](=O)([O-])[O-]
- PubChem CID
- 943
Risk for people, pets,
Moderate riskRegulatory consensus
4 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Nitrate. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPA | — | Drinking water MCL | 10 mg/L NO3-N |
| USGS | — | Groundwater contaminant | widespread agricultural |
| ECHA | — | Water quality | monitoring |
| IARC | 2010 | Group 2A | IARC Monographs Vol 94 (2010). IARC 'Ingested nitrate/nitrite under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation' (Vol 94) = Group 2A (conditional). Grounded (D-429, 2026-07-24). |
Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.
Where your yard encounter nitrate
- drinking water
- groundwater
- agricultural run-off
- fertilizer contamination
- septic systems
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Nitrate:
-
Celery powder / cultured celery extract
Trade-offs: Contains natural nitrate which converts to nitrite; still forms nitrosamines but at lower levels. Labeling as 'uncured' is misleading.Relative cost: 1.5-2× conventional sodium nitrate
-
Rosemary extract + cherry powder
Trade-offs: Weaker antimicrobial action against C. botulinum. May alter flavor profile. Less consistent color.Relative cost: 2-3× conventional
Frequently asked questions
What products contain nitrate?
Nitrate appears in: drinking water; groundwater; agricultural run-off.
Why do regulators disagree about nitrate?
Nitrate has been classified by 4 agencies including EPA, USGS, ECHA, IARC, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.
See Nitrate in the outdoor app
Look up products containing nitrate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in outdoor View raw API dataSources (1)
- ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 14797-55-8 — reference
Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →