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This compound is at the heart of why nitrates and nitrites are considered toxic. Nitrosamines are a carcinogen, or a cancer-causing substance. They are found everywhere in our environment,...
Sodium nitrite is a powerful oxidizing agent that causes hypotension and limits oxygen transport and delivery in the body through the formation of methemoglobin. Clinical manifestations can include cyanosis, hypoxia, altered consciousness, dysrhythmias, and death.
Ingestion of nitrite (from potassium nitrite or sodium nitrite sources) has been associated with severe methemoglobinemia in adults and children; in some of these cases, symptoms included hypotension and/or tachycardia (Gowans 1990; Sevier and Berbatis 1976; Ten Brink et al. 1982).
Acute acquired methemoglobinemia is the most important adverse health effect caused by excessive nitrate/nitrite exposure. The known toxic effects from nitrate exposure result from the conversion of nitrate to nitrite.
Very high levels of sodium nitrite can kill you. Sodium nitrite can also harm you if you inhale it or if it’s soaked up through your skin. It can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, and throat.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your daily intake of sodium nitrate shouldn’t be more than 3.7 milligrams per kilo of body weight. So, for example, a...
Misuse or excessive use of any medicine or product containing nitrates, whether unintentionally or intentionally, can lead to poisoning. Poisoning can result from swallowing, inhaling, or even skin contact. People have been poisoned after drinking nitrate-contaminated rural well water.
Drinking water from wells containing nitrate from sources such as animal waste and/or fertilizer runoff and eating plants grown in contaminated soil will increase your exposure to these chemicals. Top of Page. How can nitrate and nitrite affect my health?
This Public Health Statement summarizes the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) findings on inorganic nitrate and nitrite, including chemical characteristics, exposure risks, possible health effects from exposure, and ways to limit exposure.
Sodium nitrite causes increased methemoglobin, resulting in systemic hypoxia, metabolic acidosis, and cyanosis. Since sodium nitrite is a preservative, the ingestion of foods containing an excessive amount of this substance can also cause acute intoxication up to death.