Is sodium nitrate cancer causing

Answer 1

Research indicates that diets very high in salty foods have been linked to an increased risk of developing stomach cancer. Too much salt can also lead to high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for Heart disease. Most of the salt in our diet comes from packaged and take-away foods, such as Pizza, pies, sauces, soups, margarines, breads and breakfast cereals. When shopping, read food labels and try to choose products with less than 120mg of sodium per 100g

http://www.cancerwa.asn.au/prevention/nutrition/salt/

Answer 2

Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite and Potassium Nitrate are used in the preserving of food by a process called salting or "curing" using table salt (Sodium Chloride) as the main curing agent.

Sodium Chloride dries out the food and in doing so creates an environment in which most bacterial organisms can not thrive. This preserves the food (and makes it taste different/better).

However, there is one family of bacteria that is not affected by Sodium Chloride, this bacteria is called "Botulism" and it is terribly dangerous - Botulism toxin is the most dangerous poison known to man.

Thus to make cured meets safe to eat it is necessary to add an ingredient that kills off Botulism too. Very small amounts of Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite and Potassium Nitrate will do this and thus they are added, in very small amounts, to the Sodium Chloride when curing meat.

The quantities used are present in the finished product in such small amounts that they are no more harmful to a human that drinking a bottle of beer.