Sodium Nitrate: Cancer in the refrigerator

[birdgirl73]

Sodium nitrate. One study revealed a 700% increase in leukimia, Quadrupling of brain tumors and a 6700% increase in pancreatic cancer following the diets of 2000 people.
Have a good one.

Hey, Ganja,
I believe you're actually referring to sodium nitrite rather than nitrate. People frequently confuse the chemical names since there's only one vowel's difference. Sodium nitrate is saltpeter, an ingredient in explosives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrate

Sodium nitrite is the meat preservative that's been closely linked with cancer, particularly pancreatic cancer. That study done by the University of Hawaii was actually an examination of 20,000 people rather than 2,000, and the finding was a 67% increase in pancreatic cancer risk rather than 6,700%. Here's a good piece about it: http://www.newstarget.com/007133.html

I don't know about anyone else, but when I first read this news when the study results were published in spring 2005, it put me off processed meats for good. You have a good one, too!

birdgirl73 Reviewed by birdgirl73 on 08-07-2006. Sodium Nitrate: Cancer in the refrigerator Another cancer causing food chemical exposed. SODIUM NITRATE. What is Sodium Nitrate? It is a meat persevative. It gives meat the red color when in fact the meat is more than likely a putrid grey color. If you look on the back of Sausage, hotdogs, ham, bacon and processed lunch meat labels you will see this carcinogenic chemical listed. When ingested it forms nitrosamines. Its main carcinogenic effect is on the colon and pancreas. Rating: 5