Symptoms and treatments of sodium nitrite poisoning

We all know that sodium nitrite is mostly found in pickled vegetables, meat, spoiled vegetables, etc., and some fresh vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, green vegetables, leeks, spinach, radish leaves, etc. also contain more sodium nitrite and nitrate. In particular, rotten vegetable leaves, cooked leftovers, or newly pickled vegetables and pickles have the highest sodium nitrite content about a week after pickling. Sodium nitrite poisoning may occur if you drink well water containing sodium nitrite for a long time or add too much sodium nitrite when pickling bacon. So what are the symptoms of sodium nitrite poisoning? How should it be treated?

Clinical manifestations

Sodium nitrite is poisonous. The toxic side effects of excessive ingestion are paralysis of the vasomotor center, respiratory center and peripheral blood vessels, and the formation of methemoglobin. Symptoms of acute poisoning include general weakness, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest tightness and difficulty breathing; examination reveals obvious cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes. In severe cases, blood pressure drops, coma, and death may occur.

treat

Mild cases do not require special treatment and will generally recover on their own after being advised to rest and drink plenty of water. For those with severe poisoning, they should be sent to the hospital promptly. For those with a short poisoning time, first use 1:5000 potassium permanganate solution for gastric lavage, catharsis and enema, and give 1% methylene blue at a dose of 1-2 mg/kg body weight diluted to 5 in 200 ml of 5% glucose solution for intravenous drip. If cyanosis does not subside, repeat half the dose if necessary. If the condition does not improve after the above treatment, life support treatment and symptomatic treatment should be given simultaneously.

prevention

1. Prevent sodium nitrite from being mistaken for table salt or alkali.

2. Vegetables should be properly stored to prevent rotting, and rotten vegetables should not be eaten.

3. Leftover cooked food should not be stored at high temperatures for a long time before being eaten.

4. Do not eat large amounts of freshly pickled vegetables. Add more salt when pickling vegetables and pickle them for at least 15 days before eating.

5. Do not eat a large amount of leafy vegetables in a short period of time, or soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes and discard the soup before cooking.

6. The amount of sodium nitrate and nitrite in meat products must strictly comply with national health standards and should not be added in excess; bitter well water should not be used to cook porridge, especially not stored overnight.