136: Nitrite Poisoning

Nitrite Poisoning

Jing Ting and Jiang Chi immediately helped Mo Li clear out the crowd. 0

Mo Li studied Su He. If the latter was not treated in time, she would really die on the spot.

"What did she have for breakfast?" Mo Li demanded. Su He's manager turned to study Su He's breakfast. "Lettuce, a piece of chicken drumstick, ketogenic black sesame and konjac rice, two boiled eggs, pickled lentils."

Mo Li suddenly stood up with a frown. She picked up the plate of lentils. Mo Li could tell from this glance that this was a plate of pickled raw lentils.

"How is Xiao He..." The manager asked nervously.

Mo Li bent back down to listen to Su He's heartbeat, examine her mouth cavity and flip over her eyelids. Mo Li then announced, "The de... I mean, the patient's face is turning purple, her eyeballs are sinking and her skin is losing elasticity. Her heart rate is overly high and her breathing is uneven." Mo Li adjusted Su He to a more suitable position, "Her limbs are cold and she's sweating all over. She has lost consciousness and her tongue is turning black. If she doesn't receive immediate treatment, it's very likely that she'd perish from heart failure."

"Impossible!" Su He's manager exclaimed, "Xiao He never had heart problem, so why would she suddenly face heart failure?"

"It's because of nitrite poisoning." Earlier Mo Li almost called Su He the dead out of professional habit. However, she did immediately diagnose Su He's problem. "The pickled lentils she ate were raw, and they were given a quick stir fry. Naturally they would cause food poisoning if ingested." Mo Li's words sent a ripple through the crowd. Everyone looked at her with disbelief and suspicion. 

"Food poisoning? No, that can't be."

"That's right. We've been working with this restaurant for a long time already, there has never been a problem like this before." The auntie who was responsible for the food of the celebrities was instantly insulted. She believed Mo Li was just spouting nonsense. "You had the same breakfast as Su He. It's the same nutritional and low-fat meal! How come you're fine then?"

Mo Li picked up the small plate of lentils and pointed out, "These lentils have been pickled for only a short amount of time. Then it was stir-fried at high temperature before it was served. The high temperature would agitate the pickled raw lentils and make them release more nitrite acid. That's common sense."

Ran Ya walked out with a mocking look. "Just who do you think you are? Why should we believe in your nonsense?"

Ignoring the girl, Mo Li took a deep breath. "Su He suffers from gastrointestinal problems. Therefore, her body produces low amount of gastric acid. The nitrate from the lentils will be reduced to nitrite-n in her stomach. And that leads to food poisoning."

Ran Ya's face was ugly because she didn't expect Mo Li to counter her with such logical and scientific observations.

"But she might not be poisoned from the breakfast we prepared! She might have eaten something before she came here!" The auntie who handled the food finally lost it. She shouted impatiently, clearly annoyed with Mo Li.

"You're right. Nitrite poisoning can have a long incubation period depending on the amount of poisonous food that is ingested. The symptoms can be latent from 10 minutes to 2 hours." The direct evidence Mo Li saw was the pickled lentils on the table but the auntie was right, Su He could have had something else before she came. 

In any case, the imminent concern was Su He's safety.

"Nitrite is a kind of fast acting oxidant and it can lower the patient's internal oxygen delivery capacity. It would react quickly once ingested. That is the reason why Miss Su He's face is green and her lips are purple."

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