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From: jbray@bbncca.ARPA (James Bray)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Bacon-fat
Message-ID: <179@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 12-Oct-83 11:34:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.179
Posted: Wed Oct 12 11:34:53 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Oct-83 10:33:15 EDT
References: <100@houxk.UUCP>, <698@ihuxr.UUCP> <18781@wivax.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 10

In the case of the bacon-fat saved during the war causing cancer, I would
expect that would most likely be caused by nitrosamines, potent carcinogens
that can be formed in a number of ways (as for example that province in China
which had a high rate of esophageal cancer, eventually traced to the local
habit of pickling vegetables, producing I believe nitrosamines as a decay
product). One of the ways is cooking a protein in the presence of nitrates or
nitrites (one is more reactive, I forget which). The nitrate/nitrite reacts
with amino acids from the protein to produce nitrosamines.

--Jim Bray (decvax!bbncca!jbray)