Sodium nitrite
An inorganic compound used as a food additive, industrial chemical, and medication for cyanide poisoning.
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It is used as a food additive in processed meats and fish products, and also serves as a precursor to pharmaceuticals, dyes, and pesticides.[1]
Key facts and history
In the early 20th century, the meat industry found that adding sodium nitrite in pure form could streamline cured meat production.[2] In 1993, Parma ham producers in Italy made a collective decision to remove nitrates from their products.[2] The World Health Organization classified “processed meats” as a group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence they cause cancer, particularly colon cancer.[2] The medical application of sodium nitrite began during the 1920s and 1930s.[3]
During the early part of the 20th century, inconsistent meat curing methods were typical.[4] For treating cyanide poisoning, sodium nitrite is administered alongside sodium thiosulfate.[5] In rats, the LD 50 for sodium nitrite is 180 mg/kg; in humans, the LD Lo is 71 mg/kg.[6]
What the cited sources add
The Guardian article notes that according to Cancer Research UK, if no one ate processed or red meat in Britain, there would be 8,800 fewer cases of cancer.[2] The Guardian article states that in 1977, the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture gave the meat industry three months to prove nitrate and nitrite in bacon caused no harm.[2] The article reports that the nitrite ban was shelved after a new FDA commissioner was appointed in 1980.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Sodium nitrite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry", 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Yes, bacon really is killing us", The Guardian, 1 March 2018. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Sodium nitrite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Medical Toxicology", Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004, p. 172; "Nitrite and Nitrate in Human Health and Disease", Springer Science & Business Media, 2011, p. 226; "World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019", World Health Organization, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sodium nitrite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Human safety controversies surrounding nitrate and nitrite in the diet", Nitric Oxide, May 2012, p. 259–266; "Human safety controversies surrounding nitrate and nitrite in the diet", Nitric Oxide, May 2012, p. 259–266 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sodium nitrite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "WHO Model Formulary 2008", World Health Organization, 2009, p. 65; "Sodium Nitrite Solution for Injection - Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) - (eMC)", www.medicines.org.uk; "Patterns of cyanide antidote use since regulatory approval of hydroxocobalamin in the United States", American Journal of Therapeutics, July–August 2014, p. 244–249; "StatPearls", StatPearls Publishing, 2023; "Pediatric Emergency Medicine", Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008, p. 1018; "WHO Model Formulary 2008", World Health Organization, 2009, p. 65 (we also re en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Sodium nitrite" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "How toxic is it?", The Association for Science Educators; "Safety data for sodium nitrite", The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory; "Severe Methemoglobinemia due to Sodium Nitrite Poisoning", Case Reports in Emergency Medicine, 3 August 2016; "Sodium Nitrite Intoxication and Death: Summarizing Evidence to Facilitate Diagnosis", International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, October 2022; "Nitrate and Nitrite Poisoning", www.poison.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sodium nitrite (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sodium nitrite (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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