Earthworms, Eisenia foetida (Savigny), were maintained for 48 h in a nitrite-enriched artificial soil. Evidence suggests that animal catalase plays an important role in limiting the bioaccumulation of this toxicant (a widespread compound in the natural habitat of Eisenia). Nitrite oxidation is regarded as a biochemical mechanism: (1) coadapted with other aspects of functional ecology of earthworms; and (2) capable of enriching soils with nitrate, a nitrogen form available for plant metabolism.