The harm of boiling water thousands of times

Everyone must have heard of the term "thousand-boiling water" in life. Thousand-boiling water is also called thousand-boiling water. The so-called thousand-boiling water refers to water that has been boiled repeatedly. People say that this kind of water is not drinkable. This is because the nitrite content in the boiled water exceeds the standard. Drinking this water for a long time will cause poisoning and even cancer. So are the hazards of this thousands of boiling water really as serious as they are said to be?

1. What is Thousand Boiled Water?

Water naturally contains small amounts of nitrates and nitrites. Nitrate is an ionic compound (an ionic crystal) and its ionic bonds are relatively stable. Therefore, it stands to reason that nitrates are relatively stable. However, since nitrate ions are composed of active non-metallic elements - N and O, nitrate ions are unstable, so the chemical properties of nitrates are very active. Alkali metals and anhydrous nitrates of Group IIA can decompose into nitrite and oxygen when heated. Therefore, during the boiling process of water, nitrates continue to decompose, and coupled with the continuous evaporation of water, the concentration of nitrite continues to rise - this is "thousand-boiling water".

2. The disadvantages of drinking boiled water

The nitrite content in "thousand-boiled water" is very high, so long-term drinking it is likely to cause cancer. Because it has been boiled for too long, the water 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 and cause temporary diarrhea and abdominal distension. The toxic nitrite will also cause the hemoglobin in the blood to lose its oxygen-carrying function, causing the body to lack of oxygen, and make the lips, nails, and skin blue and purple, and cause dizziness, headache, palpitations, chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and in severe cases, coma, convulsions, and even death.

3. Harm of nitrite to human body

Common nitrites in daily life include NaNO2 and KNO2, which are called industrial salt. Nitrite is a strong oxidant. After entering the blood, it will combine with hemoglobin, converting oxygenated hemoglobin into methemoglobin, thereby causing hemoglobin to lose its oxygen-carrying capacity, leading to tissue hypoxia and having a dilating effect on peripheral blood vessels. Within 10 minutes to 3 hours of oral nitrite administration, symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, chest tightness, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes all over the body may occur. In severe cases, loss of consciousness, coma, respiratory failure, and even death may occur. The harm of nitrite is not only that it can cause poisoning, it can also cause cancer. Nitrite can react with secondary amines in food or the stomach to form nitrosamines, which can cause cancer.

4. What to do if you are poisoned by nitrite

After poisoning, vomiting, gastric lavage and catharsis should be induced as soon as possible, and the antidote methylene blue (methylene blue) and vitamin C should be taken. Critically ill patients can receive a certain amount of fresh blood, and hypotension shock should be treated in time, acidosis should be corrected, oxygen should be inhaled and other symptomatic treatments should be given.