Nitrite poisoning

Nitrite poisoning is caused by eating marinated meat products, pickles and spoiled vegetables with high nitrate or nitrite content, which can cause poisoning, or caused by accidentally using industrial sodium nitrite as table salt. Containing nitrate or nitrite in bitter well water and steamer water, nitrite can oxidize methemoglobin, which normally carries oxygen in the blood, to methemoglobin, thus losing the ability to carry oxygen and causing tissue hypoxia.