Familiar foods that contain cyanide, you need to be careful

According to Associate Professor Nguyen Duy Thinh, former lecturer at the Institute of Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, cyanide can exist in many natural foods such as the seeds of some fruits (plums, peaches, apricots, apples).

In particular, among the plants most susceptible to cyanide poisoning are cassava and fresh bamboo shoots - popular foods in the meals of many Vietnamese families.

This poison has the property of dissolving in water and evaporating at high temperatures, so with fresh bamboo shoots, it is best for families to soak them in water for many hours before further processing, the cyanide will gradually decrease when in contact with water.

You should boil the bamboo shoots thoroughly, changing the water many times to remove toxins. Use only when the pickled bamboo shoots are cooked, have a characteristic sour smell, and turn yellow. Absolutely do not eat raw bamboo shoots.

Fresh cassava also contains cyanide in both the skin and the flesh. When boiled, especially in large quantities, this substance will form a layer on the surface of the water. People who eat high concentrations of this substance will be poisoned, commonly known as "cassava drunk". In fact, many people who eat cassava have died because of the cyanide in cassava.

According to experts, the best way to remove cyanide from cassava is to peel, cut off the top and tail, then soak in cold water for several hours before boiling. In addition, while boiling, you should open the pot lid to let the cyanide evaporate, the amount of toxicity will be significantly reduced.

Cyanide is an extremely toxic chemical, even listed as one of the most toxic substances. It is quickly absorbed into the body, inhibits very quickly and strongly the cellular respiration, the nervous system causing acute poisoning, even a very small dose can cause death.

Cyanide poisoning prevents the body from exchanging oxygen, causing "dry suffocation". Patients die quickly, often due to respiratory failure and convulsions. The toxic dose of cyanide depends on the form (salt or gas), the time of exposure, and the route of exposure.

Signs of cyanide poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, restlessness and exhaustion. If cyanide poisoning is not treated promptly within 2 hours, the risk of death is very high.

When detecting someone with the above signs, we need to quickly take the person with cyanide poisoning to the nearest medical facility for timely emergency care, any delay can lead to death.