Sodium Nitrate
<p>Extreme caution should be taken with sodium nitrite which is mainly used a food coloring agent. Sodium nitrite is added to meats to produce an appealing and fresh red color to the consumer. Sodium nitrite can produce cancer causing chemicals such as nitrosamines, and numerous studies have shown a link between nitrite and cancer in humans that consume processed and cured meats.<sup id="cite_ref-sixwise.com_9-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_additive#cite_note-sixwise.com-9" >[10]</a></sup></p>
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<b>Sodium nitrate</b> is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_compound" title="Chemical compound" >chemical compound</a> with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_formula" title="Chemical formula" >formula</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium" title="Sodium" >Na</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen" title="Nitrogen" >N</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen" title="Oxygen" >O</a><sub >3</sub>. This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salts" title="Salts" class="mw-redirect" >salt</a>, also known as <i>Chile saltpeter</i> or <i>Peru saltpeter</i>(due to the large deposits found in each country) to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate" title="Potassium nitrate" >potassium nitrate</a>, is a white solid which is very soluble in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water" title="Water" >water</a>. The mineral form is also known as<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitratine" title="Nitratine" >nitratine</a></i>, <i>nitratite</i> or <i>soda <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niter" title="Niter" >niter</a></i>.</p>
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Sodium nitrate may be used as a constituent of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizer" title="Fertilizer" >fertilizers</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrotechnics" title="Pyrotechnics" >pyrotechnics</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_bomb" title="Smoke bomb" >smoke bombs</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass" title="Glass" >glass</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery" title="Pottery" >pottery</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitreous_enamel" title="Vitreous enamel" >enamels</a>, as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_preservative" title="Food preservative" class="mw-redirect" >food preservative</a> and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_propellant" title="Rocket propellant" >solid rocket propellant</a>. It has been mined extensively for these purposes.</p>
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Like sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate forms <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosamine" title="Nitrosamine" >nitrosamines</a> – human carcinogens known to cause DNA damage and increased cellular degeneration. </p>
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Studies have shown a link between increased levels of nitrates and increased deaths from certain diseases including Alzheimer's, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's, possibly through the damaging effect of nitrosamines on DNA.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrate#cite_note-8" >[9]</a></sup> </p>
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Nitrosamines, formed in cured meats containing sodium nitrate and nitrite, have been linked to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_cancer" title="Gastric cancer" class="mw-redirect" >gastric cancer</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oesophageal_cancer" title="Oesophageal cancer" class="mw-redirect" >oesophageal cancer</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrate#cite_note-9" >[10]</a></sup> </p>
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Sodium nitrate and nitrite are associated with a higher risk of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorectal_cancer" title="Colorectal cancer" >colorectal cancer</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrate#cite_note-10" >[11]</a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Cancer_Research_Fund_UK" title="World Cancer Research Fund UK" >World Cancer Research Fund UK</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrate#cite_note-11" >[12]</a></sup> states that one of the reasons that processed meat increases the risk of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_cancer" title="Colon cancer" class="mw-redirect" >colon cancer</a> is its content of nitrate. </p>
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A small amount of the nitrate added to meat as a preservative breaks down into nitrite, in addition to any nitrite that may also be added. The nitrite then reacts with protein-rich foods (such as meat) to produce N-nitroso compounds (NOCs). </p>
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Some types of NOCs are known to cause cancer. </p>
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NOCs can be formed either when meat is cured or in the body as meat is digested.</p>
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