As reported by Radio Lublin, the State Veterinary Institute in Puławy published the results of the analysis of the meat product that was the cause of fatal poisoning of a resident of Podkarpacie. As it turns out, the cause of death was toxic levels of sodium nitrite.
— The concentration of sodium nitrite ranged from 16 to 19 thousand milligrams per kilogram of product. In turn, examination of the unknown substance provided by the prosecutor’s office in the form of white powder showed that it is chemically pure nitrite, which could probably have been added to the jelly by mistake – said prof. in an interview with Radio Lublin. Stanisław Winiarczyk, director of PIW from the Lublin region.
He added that the permissible amount of sodium nitrite added in the process of curing raw meat ranges from 100 to 150 milligrams per kilogram of raw material. This means that in the examined case the standard was exceeded more than 100 times.
Jelly poisoning in Podkarpacie
Let us recall that the tragedy in Podkarpacie occurred in mid-February. As a result of poisoning, one person died and two others were hospitalized. The source of the toxin were delicatessen products sold at the market by a couple from Mielec County. As it turned out, production was carried out illegally, without supervision by the Veterinary Inspection.
Why is sodium nitrite in food?
Sodium nitrite is a chemical food additive marked E250. From the point of view of food technology, this compound is classified as a preservative. It inhibits the development of Clostridium botulinum bacilli, which in anaerobic conditions produce botulism (botulin), which is deadly to humans. An additional function of sodium nitrite is to ensure appropriate color of meat: it changes the chemical structure of meat dyes, which gives the products the desired pink color. Other compounds used for pickling have similar effects: potassium nitrite, as well as potassium and sodium nitrate.
In production practice, the so-called pickling salt (curing salt), which is a mixture of ordinary table salt (sodium chloride – about 99.7%) with a small admixture of sodium nitrite. Thanks to this, it is impossible to accidentally overdose the curing agent: if too high a dose of the preservative is administered, the product will be so salty that it cannot be eaten. In the case of poisoning in Podkarpacie, it was probably the accidental use of pure sodium nitrite, samples of which were found on a farm.
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