What does thousand boiling water mean?

Water is the source of life. Without water, there will be no life. I believe everyone has heard this saying: "A person can go without food for seven days, but cannot go without water for three days." This further highlights the importance of water to the human body. Speaking of boiling water, I believe everyone knows that this is water that has reached its boiling point and the temperature is very high. There is also a new concept called thousand-boiling water. So what does thousand-boiling water mean? Let us introduce it below.

Thousand-boiled water is water that has been boiled on the stove overnight or for a long time, as well as water that has been boiled repeatedly in an electric water heater. Because this water has been boiled for too long, it contains high levels of non-volatile substances, such as calcium, magnesium, other heavy metal components, and nitrite. Drinking this kind of water for a long time will interfere with the gastrointestinal function of the human body, causing temporary diarrhea and abdominal distension; the toxic nitrite can also cause hypoxia in the body, and in severe cases it can cause coma, convulsions, and even death.

Several major issues

Question 1

Where does nitrite in water come from?

Usually comes from nitrates. If the water contains high levels of nitrates, some of them may be converted into nitrites when heated by boiling. In other words, long boiling will only cause an increase in nitrite when the nitrate concentration in the water is already relatively high.

At the same time, after a long period of heating, the water becomes concentrated, so the nitrite content in the water will increase significantly. However, if the base is very low, even if it rises two or three times, it will not reach a toxic level.

Whether the steamer water contains so much nitrite depends on what is steamed. If food is steamed multiple times, the nitrate and nitrite in the food may flow into the pot with the steaming water, and after heating and concentration, the nitrite content will indeed increase. If the food is steamed over low heat, the ingredients in the food cannot enter the steamer water and less water evaporates, so the nitrite content in the steamer water will not rise to a toxic level.

However, if the water quality is already qualified and the nitrate content is very low, then the nitrite produced after boiling will also be very small. Nitrite contains nitrogen. Nitrogen does not appear out of thin air. Chemical elements do not appear out of thin air, nor does it increase or decrease due to heating. This basic principle must not be forgotten.

Question 2

Are there really so many nitrates in the water we drink?

In rural areas, this is a big problem. It is easy for drinking water sources to be contaminated by nitrogen-containing fertilizers, manure from livestock and poultry farms, or nitrogen-containing industrial wastewater in rural areas and small towns. Not only surface water, but even groundwater is sometimes not spared. Urban landfills can also cause this type of groundwater contamination problem. Because water sources are contaminated by nitrates, which are then converted into nitrites by microorganisms, incidents of poisoning of humans and animals occur frequently in rural areas and small towns. It is difficult to effectively remove nitrates from water treatment plants, so ensuring the quality of water sources is a very critical issue.