Sodium nitrite has had varying degrees of effectiveness for controlling growth of other spoilage or disease causing microorganisms. Even though the inhibitory mechanisms for sodium nitrite are not well known, its effectiveness depends on several factors including residual nitrite level, pH, salt concentration, reductants present and iron content. Furthermore, the type of bacteria also affects sodium nitrites effectiveness. It is generally agreed upon that sodium nitrite is not considered effective for controlling gram-negative enteric pathogens such as "Salmonella" and "Escherichia coli".