Nitrosamines are associated with colorectal, stomach, brain ans pancreatic cancers and leukemia in children. They can be found in nitrite preserved food, some natural foods and cigarette smoke.
The nitrite forms nitrous acid (HNO2), which splits into the nitrosyl cation (N=O+) and the hydroxide (OH-) anion. The nitrosyl cation then reacts with an amine to produce nitrosamine.
Nitrosamines are found in many foodstuffs especially beer, fish, fish byproducts, and in meat and cheese products preserved with nitrite pickling salt. They are formed when the food protein reacts with nitrite salts in the stomach. They can also be formed by frying or smoking. The rule of thumb is: nitrosamine-content is lower if the food has been processed less, fewer preservatives used, and natural production techniques used.
CancerNitrosamines can cause cancers in animals and humans.
Nitrosamine A. Carcinogenesis and nitrosamines
Since the discovery of the carcinogenic property of dimethylnitrosamine (Magee & Barnes, 1956), many other nitrosamines have been found to induce malignant tumours in various species of laboratory animals (Magee & Barnes, 1967). There is growing concern with regard to certain nitrosamines as etiological agents for cancer in the human environment (Lijinsky & Epstein, 1970). It is generally accepted that the use of nitrite as a food preservative may be associated with the formation of nitrosamines in foods as well as in the animal organism. The nitrosamines vary in their carcinogenic potential. They can induce malignant tumours at very low levels, such as 2 ppm (0.0002%) in the diet of rats (Terracini et al., 1967), equivalent to daily doses of 0.1 mg/kg bw. A single oral dose of 30 mg/kg bw of nitrosamine proved to be carcinogenic in the rat (Druckrey et al., 1969). Tumours of the trachea developed in the offspring of hamsters treated either during pregnancy or lactation with nitrosamine (Mohr & Althof, 1971).
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v05je15.htm"> Toxicological evaluation of some food additives
Recent case-control studies have confirmed the risks of cancer from consumption of hot dogs. Eating many hot dogs by children, as well maternal hot dog consumption during pregnancy, has been shown to be associated with brain cancer and leukemia in children. (15,16,17)
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