NITROSAMINE FORMATION VIA NONPRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic nitrosamines can be formed unde r physiological conditions in the human body by a reaction between nit rite and secondary or tertiary amines. A large number of people are ex posed daily through drinking water to high levels of nitrate, which ca n be reduced to nitrite. Moreover, nitrate and nitrite are present in vegetables and nitrite is used in food preservation. Dietary exposure to amines is normally below 100 mg per day, whereas paracetamol and an tazolin, both secondary amines, are used therapeutically at much highe r doses. Knowledge about the possible interactions between these widel y used drugs and the background exposure to nitrite is presently not a vailable. Therefore, an evaluation of the carcinogenic hazard related to this combination is needed.