When sodium nitrite is added with the salt, the meat develops a red, then pink color, which is associated with cured meats such as ham, bacon, hot dogs, and bologna.In the early 1900s, irregular curing was commonplace. This led to further research surrounding the use of sodium nitrite as an additive in food, standardizing the amount present in foods to minimize the amount needed while maximizing its food additive role. Through this research, sodium nitrite has been found to give taste and color to the meat and inhibit lipid oxidation that leads to rancidity, with varying degrees of effectiveness for controlling growth of disease-causing microorganisms. The ability of sodium nitrite to address the above-mentioned issues has led to production of meat with extended storage life and has improved desirable color and taste. According to scientists working for the meat industry, nitrite has improved food safety. This view is disputed in the light of its ineffectiveness against botulism and the possible carcinogenic effects caused by adding nitrites to meat.Nitrite has the E number E250. Potassium nitrite (E249) is used in the same way. It is approved for usage in the EU, USA and Australia and New Zealand.In meat-processing, sodium nitrite is never used in a pure state but always mixed with common salt. This mixture is known as nitrited salt, curing salt or nitrited curing salt. In Europe, nitrited curing salt contains between 99.1% and 99.5% common
salt and between 0.5% and 0.9% nitrite.
One paper finds anesthesia gases used globally contribute the equivalent of 1 million cars to global warming. This estimate is commonly cited as a reason to neglect pollution prevention by anesthesiologists, however this is problematic. This estimate is extrapolated from only one U.S. institutions anesthetic practices, and this institution uses virtually no Desflurane. Researchers neglected to include nitrous oxide in their calculations, and reported an erroneous average of 17 kg CO2e per anesthetic. However, institutions that utilize some Desflurane and account for nitrous oxide have reported an average of 175–220 kg CO2e per anesthetic. Sulbaek-Andersons group therefore likely underestimated the total worldwide contribution of inhaled anesthetics, and yet still advocates for inhaled anesthetic emissions prevention. References
Further reading
Eger, Eisenkraft, Weiskopf. The Pharmacology of Inhaled Anesthetics. 2003. Rang, Dale, Ritter, Moore. Pharmacology 5th Edition. 2003. Martin Bellgardt: Evaluation der Sedierungstiefe und der Aufwachzeiten frisch operierter Patienten mit neurophysiologischem Monitoring im Rahmen der Studie: Desfluran versus Propofol zur Sedierung beatmeter Patienten. Bochum, Dissertation, 2005 (pdf)
Susanne Lohmann: Verträglichkeit, Nebenwirkungen und Hämodynamik der inhalativen Sedierung mit Desfluran im Rahmen der Studie: Desfluran versus Propofol zur Sedierung beatmeter Patienten. Bochum, Dissertation, 2006 (pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine)
Patel SS, Goa KL (1995). "Desflurane. A review of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties and its efficacy in general anaesthesia". Drugs. 50 (4): 742–67. doi:10.2165/00003495-199550040-00010. PMID 8536556. External links
"Desflurane". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.