Talk:Sodium nitrite

Wrong number?
Is this super-low sounding amount of 0.0625% a typo?

"In the European Union it may be used only as a mixture with salt containing at most 0.0625% sodium nitrite."

Yet apparently 6.25% is a common amount of sodium nitrite, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_salt — Preceding unsigned comment added by 157.181.171.203 (talk) 14:25, 27 January 2016 (UTC)

Weird Typo
I read "Boiling vegetables lowers nitrate but not nitrite" and had to reread it twice before I realized it made no sense. What? 75.72.165.51 (talk) 06:13, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

Nitrite/Nitrate
What is the reference to Sodium Nitrate(III)in the "other names" box? I've never heard of Sodium Nitrite being referred to as Sodium Nitrate in any way. I've seen Nitrous Acid, Sodium Salt used as an alternate name.--Geoshir 14:24, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

''While this chemical may prevent the growth of bacteria, it is dangerously similar in formula to sodium nitrate, a prime ingredient in explosives. ''

I don't think THAT is a good justification for its toxicity! Besides, as far as I know, nitrite is even more toxic than nitrate.--Malbi 17:43, 31 July 2005 (UTC)

Carcinogenicity
AS I understand it, isn't Sodium Nitrite also the most reactive carcinogin? Should that be mentioned in this article somewhere? Homestarmy 21:29, 8 January 2006 (UTC)
 * The carcinogenicity of nitrites is a controversial issue. At present, there is no direct IARC guidance, and they are not included in the NTP Report on Carcinogens. The IARC has given a high priority (in 2003) to establishing a monograph on the possible carcinogenicity of nitrites and nitrates. The European Union does not currently classify sodium nitrite as a carcinogen. The most generally proposed mechanism for a possible carcinogenicity of nitrites is the formation of nitrosamines. Physchim62 (talk) 09:25, 9 January 2006 (UTC)


 * I expect carcinogenity of sodium nitrite to take a back-burner compared to its effects on the immune system. In the case of sodium nitrite, you may have a mix of direct-effect and side-effect cancers.  -broodlinger 24.184.67.122 23:28, 15 January 2007 (UTC)
 * That sounds a bit like FUD. What sort of cancer? --Kjoonlee 03:41, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Here is a question I had for millenia...
In my personal knowledge, all (at least, many) smoked foods (ham, bacon, etc.) have sodium nitrite added to them. Why do they add sodium nitrite especially to smoked foods? -- Frosty  (sup?) 17:57, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * I think it serves as some sort of preservative, used heavily in processed meats. I think it's one of the reasons people have started looking into carcinogicity stuff, because you know, eating alot of it probably isn't a good idea....Homestarmy 18:29, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

It is used primarily for the purpose of giving the meat that reddish color. You'll find it in hot dogs, bologna, bacon and many other pork and beef products that would otherwise be gray. Apparently, grey is not as appealing as red. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by V1 Rotate (talk • contribs).
 * That doesn't make sense. Sodium nitrite is white. I think it's a preservative to keep the meat from spoiling. —Keenan Pepper 04:12, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
 * It stops the meat from turning brown, IIRC. It also prevents bacterial growth. --Kjoonlee 05:30, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes, the primary purpose of sodium nitrite is to maintain a fresh *appearance*, especially for opened meats (deli meats). The value of sodium nitrite to the ham, bacon, and hot dogs industry is less clear.  However, if there is an explanation for putting nitrites in hot dogs, it is probably color as well.  After all, if sodium nitrite was a deterrent for bacteria, they would put it in chicken.  And they don't.  So whatever this article says about botulism, take it out, because it's misleading. -broodlinger 24.184.67.122 23:55, 15 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Red meat will turn pink when cooked, if sodium nitrite had been added, IIRC. That explains why it would be used in pork sausages but not in chicken. --Kjoonlee 03:38, 16 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't know enough about fish, though. --Kjoonlee 03:40, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

can anyone please tell me the hazards od cosuming sodium nitrite and their remedial measures.

The guy had cosumed sodium nitirte of about 5 gms. what are the chances of getting recovered. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 125.18.12.13 (talk • contribs).
 * How much does he weigh? --Kjoonlee 10:38, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is not a place for medical advice. However, I can tell you that sodium nitrite has has an LDLO value of 71 mg kg-1 if swallowed, which means that if you weigh 60 kilograms or 133 pounds, you can die by eating 4.26 grams of sodium nitrite if you're unlucky. I wish him a swift recovery. --Kjoonlee 11:38, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

I came across an aerosol spray of 'odour neutraliser' that actually listed its ingredients. It said it contained sodium nitrite as its main ingredient. As this use was not listed on the article page I'd be interested in knowing what it does. Anyone got an idea how it works? The carrier spray is butane.

--Quatermass 16:20, 26 May 2007 (UTC)
 * It sounds like it might work as an antibacterial, which could neutralize odors.

108.67.18.130 (talk) 20:52, 19 June 2012 (UTC)

Sodium Nitrite is used in aerosol sprays to act as a drying agent and aid in NUCLEATION... the production of small partials. It's toxicity is usually less of a concern than the ingredient it is acting on. It is used in some aerosol insecticides. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2604:2D80:8E80:9C00:993:1BD2:5D18:B014 (talk) 15:16, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

Please, I'd like to know the laboratory method to make Natrium Nitritt in equation and procedure of preparation. I think that it will be by adding Common Salt to Nitrous Acid, isn't it? ≤M.Qader mqa≥ KLTTMPP

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Sodium Nitrate as a mutagen
I have eliminated the whole section regarding Sodium Nitrate as a mutagen because it is completely scientifically incorrect. I have rewritten the section in plain language:
 * Sodium nitrite produced by bacteria in the intestine can become hydrolysed if they are mysteriously transferred against the stream of food being digested and moved upstream into the stomach. The results is nitrous acid somewhere in the digestive system.


 * Nitrous acid can react with primary amines, which occur in DNA produces a chemical that contains nitrogen. This chemical will engage in the natural process of tautomerization, which means that the chemical will interconvert between two forms based on temperature and acidity. It's a property that a lot of organic chemicals have. At some point, this mysterious chemical will condense into a diazonium cation, which will be converted into alcohol with the elimination of Nitrogen. The resulting alcohol will also engage in the natural process of tautomerization.


 * The concern is that some chemicals that are known to be mutagenic engage in tautomerization. However, many non-mutagenic chemicals also engage in tautomerization, such as uracil or hypoxanthine. Tautomerization is just a property of many chemicals. Saying that tautomerizaiton causes mutation is like saying since guns are made of metal then anything made of metal can shoot and kill people.

This would not be a ridiculous thing to post. DivaNtrainin (talk) 17:50, 19 May 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.79.89.73 (talk)
 * OK, Fix your title. You don't mean Sodium 'Nitrate'. JohndanR (talk) 14:01, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

Towards resolving the food safety issues section
The food safety section was added at this edit: index.php?title=Sodium_nitrite&diff=prev&oldid=307266806 by a reg user still occasionally contributing Special:Contributions/Upstandingj, who I'm leaving a message for, and the great chunk of copy-suspect text pasted on it soon after, from the same source, by an IP editor, who's not around on that IP since Nov 09: Special:Contributions/98.234.194.92 The source of the suspect content is now behind a toll barrier, so cant be checked at source for free unless you are a subscriber. So maybe I start again, from the public refs I used at sodium nitrate, or maybe someone passing here can help with access to the unavailable refs: http://www.medem.com/?q=medlib/article/ZZZ80XEN0IC et seq.  Trev M   ~   22:50, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

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Conflating Nitrate With Nitrite?
The article says

It may also be used as an electrolyte in electrochemical grinding manufacturing processes, typically diluted to about 10% concentration in water.

but the linked article on electrochemical grinding says that sodium nitrate is used. John G Hasler (talk) 13:00, 15 May 2018 (UTC)

discussion of meat industry is not neutral language, and incorrect
> "The meat-packing industry has falsely claimed nitrite is used to prevent botulism (see also Inhibition of microbial growth).[8]"

This statement is false. The meat industries have correctly claimed nitrite is used to prevent botulism, and multiple peer-reviewed, published studies have demonstrated the inhibitory effect on C botulinum over the past 50 years. Many scholarly articles have been published in several microbiology and food safety journals.

In contrast, the citation used to justify this falsehood is an article with no links to a presumed non-peer reviewed, non-published internal document leak with a claim it would be released. After 3 years it has disappeared into obscurity, never seeing the light of day. No article, no peer review, and no publishing. In other words, it's fake news.

I'll edit it myself in a bit unless someone else wants to fix it.

Vuelhering (talk) 19:50, 22 May 2021 (UTC)


 * I agree with Vuelhering, the article still seems to minimise the use of nitrite as an antibotulinum additive and several related articles (Sodium nitrite, Curing salt, and Curing_(food_preservation)) have similar paragraphs (beginning with "a 2018 study...") describing sodium nitrite as ineffective against botulism based on a reference to a single questionable news article.
 * I'm reading up on editing guidelines to try to be bold and update it, though I suspect the structure of this and the linked articles would benefit from some further adjustment by someone more experienced.
 * Lucidium (talk) 22:04, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

Expanding toxicity section
In light of the NYT and medical coverage of sodium nitrite as a suicide method, it seems like the toxicity of sodium nitrite has suddenly become fairly notable. As a consequence of this, I think it would probably be a good idea if the article expounded upon its method of action as a poison and the symptoms of poisoning by it. Ithinkiplaygames (talk) 06:14, 13 December 2021 (UTC)

I agree that this would be a good idea. If you browse the academic cites I added, I believe some of them have a discussion of mechanism of toxicity. Sai ¿? ✍ 12:47, 16 December 2021 (UTC)
 * I'll take a look at the sources. Right now though, the suicide section does seem extremely over-cited. Looks a bit like you went into your university's article database and pulled most of the results for "sodium nitrite suicide" (no shade—I would have done the same thing, but it needs cleaning up once the toxicity section is expanded). Ithinkiplaygames (talk) 03:58, 19 December 2021 (UTC)


 * I also agree with User:Ithinkiplaygames.
 * There seem to be deletions in violation of WP:CENSOR, eg, by the WP:SPA Chdrbzkt. I think that before deleting material they don't like, editors should give an explanation of why, based on WP guidelines and policies, this deletion should override WP:CENSOR.
 * For guidance, I would point to WP:NPOV:
 * All encyclopedic content on Wikipedia must be written from a neutral point of view (NPOV), which means representing fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without editorial bias, all the significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic.
 * In other words, if the content or view (on the use of sodium nitrite for suicide, in this case) has been published by a significant number of WP:RSs, we should represent the content or views in the entry.
 * There are no WP guidelines or policies, to my knowledge, that give a WP editor the right to remove content because it may be dangerous. On the contrary, there is an obvious benefit to dealing with the suicide issue, and with the responses, including antidotes or laws that restrict access. --Nbauman (talk) 17:09, 4 February 2022 (UTC)
 * there is another on 4 June. Can you look into it and repair if possible? -- Minoa  (talk) 02:31, 12 June 2022 (UTC)

Color and Taste section
A title like that typically signals the color and taste of the substance proper, not the alteration it imparts to something else. JohndanR (talk) 14:06, 3 May 2023 (UTC)