Symptoms of nitrite poisoning

Illness comes from the mouth. We often get poisoned or become sick by eating the wrong food. Nitrite poisoning is a type of food poisoning. It is more common in children. It may be because when gastrointestinal function is disordered, nitrate-reducing bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract multiply in large numbers. If you eat vegetables rich in nitrates, the nitrates will be reduced to nitrites in the body, causing poisoning.

We should understand how to prevent nitrite poisoning so as to reduce the occurrence of poisoning. This type of disease should not be ignored, as severe cases may result in death from respiratory failure. In order to prevent more victims from accidental poisoning, we should take active safety precautions. Understand the possible sources of poisoning.

Nitrite poisoning, also known as enterogenic cyanosis. The poisoning dose of nitrite is 0.2 to 0.5 grams, and the lethal dose is 3 grams. Some vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage, kale, leek, radish, celery, and beets contain a large amount of nitrate. If stored at a higher temperature, the nitrate can be reduced to nitrite under the action of nitrate reductase. During the pickling process of vegetables, the nitrite content in them gradually increases, reaches a peak at 8 to 14 days, and then gradually decreases. When cooked vegetables are stored at higher temperatures, nitrite may also be produced due to the action of nitrate reductase in certain bacteria. Some well water contains more nitrates, commonly known as "bitter well" water. Cooking food with this water and storing it under unsanitary conditions can easily cause nitrite poisoning. The mechanism of poisoning is that nitrite oxidizes the divalent iron of hemoglobin into trivalent iron, turning hemoglobin into methemoglobin, which loses the ability to carry oxygen and causes hypoxia in the body. The incubation period of nitrite poisoning is short, generally tens of minutes or 1 to 3 hours, and the main symptom is cyanosis. It is most obvious on the skin, mucous membranes, lips, and under the nails. In addition to cyanosis, there are also headaches, dizziness, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and irritability. In severe cases, there are arrhythmias, coma or convulsions, and death often occurs from respiratory failure. The specific antidote for poisoning is methylene blue.

After understanding the above knowledge, do you have a certain degree of prevention awareness against nitrite poisoning? In daily life, we should pay attention to keeping overnight meals at low temperatures. Best to store in the refrigerator. Pay attention to drinking water hygiene, it is best to drink tap water. Convenient and clean. Also, you should eat less pickled foods, as eating too much will threaten your health.