Leftover Food Turned a 3-Year-Old Blue
Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, can last night's dinner turn a child blue?欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，昨晚的剩饭能让一个孩子变青吗？
That sounds like a cartoon story. But it really happened in Guangdong this week, right?这听起来像卡通故事。但这周在广东真的发生了，对吧？
Yes. On September 3, a hospital in Shunde shared the story. A 3-year-old boy named Xiaoye turned blue after eating leftover food for a long time.是的。9月3日，顺德一家医院分享了这个故事。一个3岁男孩小烨长期吃剩饭剩菜后全身发青。
How did people find it? Did he cry or feel pain?人们是怎么发现的？他哭了吗，还是觉得疼？
His teacher found it at school. His face and lips looked blue and purple. His parents thought it was just poor complexion. They did not plan to see a doctor.是他的老师在学校发现的。他的脸和嘴唇发青发紫。家长以为只是气色差，没打算去看医生。
Wow, that teacher may have saved his life. Did the boy cough? Did he have trouble breathing?哇，这位老师可能救了他的命。男孩咳嗽吗？呼吸困难吗？
That is the strange part. No cough, no wheezing, no stomach pain. His breathing looked normal. But his lips, hands, and nails were widely blue.这就是奇怪的地方。不咳嗽、不喘、不肚子疼。呼吸看起来正常。但他的嘴唇、双手和指甲大面积发青。
So his lungs were fine, but his body was short of oxygen? How is that possible?所以他的肺没问题，但身体却缺氧？这怎么可能？
Doctors in Shunde Women's and Children's Hospital moved him to the PICU right away. PICU means the intensive care unit for children. They found his blood looked dark purple, not bright red.顺德妇幼保健院的医生马上把他送进了PICU。PICU就是儿童重症监护室。他们发现他的静脉血呈深紫色，而不是鲜红色。
Dark purple blood? That sounds scary. What was the cause?深紫色的血？听起来很可怕。原因是什么？
Nitrite poisoning. The doctors did a poison test, and it confirmed the diagnosis. Then they gave him a special medicine called methylene blue. Slowly his skin and lips turned pink again.亚硝酸盐中毒。医生做了毒物检测，证实了诊断。然后给他用了一种叫亚甲蓝的特效药。慢慢地，他的皮肤和嘴唇恢复了红润。
Nitrite — that is a hard word. Many people think it only exists in pickles or bacon. Is leftover food also risky?Nitrite——这个词有点难。很多人以为它只存在于咸菜或培根里。剩饭剩菜也有风险吗？
Yes, and that is the big misunderstanding. After asking many questions, doctors found the real cause: the boy often ate overnight rice and vegetables.是的，而这正是最大的误解。经过反复问诊，医生找到了真正的原因：这个男孩长期频繁吃隔夜剩饭剩菜。
Leftover means food you do not finish and keep for later, right? Why does it become dangerous?Leftover就是没吃完、留到以后吃的食物，对吧？它为什么会变危险？
Think of it this way. Hot fresh food is safe. But after cooking, it loses its heat protection. The longer it stays at room temperature, the faster bacteria grow. And bacteria can turn natural nitrates in vegetables into harmful nitrites.可以这样想。热的新鲜饭菜是安全的。但煮熟后，它就失去了高温保护。在室温放得越久，细菌长得越快。而细菌会把蔬菜里天然的硝酸盐变成有害的亚硝酸盐。
So hot weather makes it worse? And heating it again and again?所以天热会更糟？反复加热呢？
Exactly. High temperature, long waiting time, and repeated reheating all make nitrites rise fast. Reheating cannot destroy nitrites. It only adds more.完全正确。温度高、放得久、反复加热，都会让亚硝酸盐快速上升。加热不能消灭亚硝酸盐，只会让它更多。
That breaks a common myth. Many parents think: if I boil it again, it becomes safe.这打破了一个常见误区。很多家长以为：再煮一遍就安全了。
For germs, boiling helps. For nitrites, boiling does not help. That is why this poisoning is so tricky.对细菌来说，煮沸有用。对亚硝酸盐来说，煮沸没用。这就是这种中毒最 tricky、最难防的地方。
Can you explain what nitrite does inside the body? In simple words?你能用简单的话解释一下，亚硝酸盐在身体里做了什么吗？
Sure. Imagine red blood cells are small buses. They carry oxygen around the body. Nitrite breaks the buses. The buses can no longer carry oxygen. So the child turns blue, even though his lungs are working fine.可以。想象红细胞是小巴士，负责给全身送氧气。亚硝酸盐破坏了这些巴士。巴士再也送不了氧气。所以孩子全身发青，尽管他的肺还在正常工作。
No wonder there is no vomiting or diarrhea. It does not hurt the stomach. It quietly stops the oxygen.难怪没有呕吐或腹泻。它不伤肠胃，只是悄悄切断了氧气。
Right. And children are at higher risk. Their bodies are small, and they cannot handle toxins as well as adults.对。而且儿童风险更高。他们的身体小，对毒素的承受力不如大人。
So how can parents tell? What are the warning signs?那家长怎么判断？有哪些危险信号？
Doctors give 4 clear signals. First, strange blue color on lips, mouth area, hands, and nails. Normal oxygen treatment cannot fix it.医生给了4个明确信号。第一，嘴唇、口周、双手和指甲奇怪发青发紫，普通吸氧也无法缓解。
Second?第二呢？
Second, it happens fast — within tens of minutes to a few hours after eating suspicious leftovers or pickled food.第二，发作很快——在吃了可疑剩菜或腌制品后几十分钟到几小时内突然发病。
Third is the strange calm, right? Blue but breathing normally, no cough, no stomach pain.第三是那种奇怪的平静，对吧？人发青，但呼吸正常，不咳嗽也不肚子疼。
Yes. Doctors call it painless lack of oxygen. Fourth, the child may feel dizzy, tired, sleepy, or weak. Sometimes with light nausea.是的。医生称之为无痛性缺氧。第四，孩子可能头晕、浑身没劲、嗜睡、精神差，有时有轻微恶心。
What should parents do if they see this? Wait at home? Make the child vomit?如果家长看到这些该怎么办？在家观察？给孩子催吐吗？
No waiting, and do not try to make the child vomit by yourself. Send the child to the hospital immediately. This poisoning can quickly lead to breathing failure.不要等待，也不要自己在家催吐。立刻送孩子去医院。这种中毒可能很快导致呼吸衰竭。
Prevention is even more important. Doctors gave 5 simple rules. Let me guess the first one: green leafy vegetables should never be kept overnight?预防更重要。医生给了5条简单规则。我猜第一条是：绿叶菜绝不过夜？
You got it. Eat green vegetables fresh. If they are left overnight, just throw them away. Do not put them on a child's table.你猜对了。绿叶菜要吃新鲜现做的。如果隔夜了，直接扔掉，不要端上孩子的餐桌。
Second: do not leave cooked food at room temperature for a long time. If you cannot finish it, seal it and put it in the fridge quickly.第二：熟食不要在室温放太久。吃不完的，及时密封放进冰箱。
Third: avoid reheating again and again. Every reheat adds more nitrites. Try to cook just enough each time.第三：不要反复加热。每热一次，亚硝酸盐就累积更多。尽量每顿只做够吃的量。
Fourth is about pickles, right? Pickled vegetables have the most nitrites around day 5 to day 8. Do not give those to children.第四是关于咸菜的，对吧？咸菜在腌制第5到第8天亚硝酸盐最多，千万别给孩子吃。
And fifth: eat less processed meat like sausages, bacon, and ham. They contain some nitrites. A small taste sometimes is okay, but not often.第五：少吃香肠、培根、火腿这类加工肉。它们含有一定亚硝酸盐。偶尔吃一点可以，不要长期频繁吃。
You know what stays with me? The parents saved money by keeping leftovers. But the hospital PICU bill is far more expensive than a fresh plate of vegetables.你知道让我感触最深的是什么吗？家长为了省钱留剩菜。但PICU的账单，比一盘新鲜青菜贵太多了。
And the fridge is not a time machine. It only slows bacteria down. It cannot turn old food back into fresh food.而且冰箱不是时光机。它只能让细菌慢一点，不能把旧饭菜变回新鲜饭菜。
Thanks for listening to Learn English with Podcasts today. Do you keep overnight vegetables at home? Will you change after this story?感谢今天收听 Learn English with Podcasts。你家会留隔夜菜吗？听完这个故事，你会改变吗？
See you next time. And tonight, maybe cook a little less — so there is nothing left to worry about tomorrow.我们下期再见。今晚，也许少做一点——这样明天就没什么可担心的了。