Why Is Sodium Nitrate Bad For You?

Sodium nitrate is a salt derived from nitric acid. This compound is a common industrial substance that occurs in fertilizers, plastics and explosives. Sodium nitrate also occurs in pharmaceuticals and as a preservative in foods. A 2010 USDA memorandum indicates that sodium nitrate provides a source of nitrogen for crop production. According to the memorandum, most organic food production standards outside of the United States, such as International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and Codex Alimentarius, prohibit the use of sodium nitrate.

Nitrosamines

Sodium nitrate interacts with other substances in your stomach to form nitrosamines. The Linus Pauling Institute's website indicates that nitrosamines are chemical compounds that may have carcinogenic properties. Most nitrosamines are mutagens, which are substances that can change genetic material, including DNA. Nitrosamines are common partly because chemical procurers to these compounds are also common, and chemical reactions that form nitrosamines are easy to replicate.

Exposure

According to a Mallinckrodt Baker material safety data sheet, sodium nitrate is a dangerous compound that may cause fire when it comes into contact with other substances. Inhaling sodium nitrate dust may irritate your respiratory tract and cause coughing or shortness of breath. Ingesting sodium nitrate may cause abdominal pain, dizziness or bloody diarrhea. Sodium nitrate can irritate your skin or eyes and cause itching or redness in those areas.

Cancer

The University of Minnesota Extension website indicates that microorganisms in food and in your gastrointestinal tract can convert nitrates into sodium nitrite. A Natural News article suggests that sodium nitrite is a poisonous compound. The article reports the work of researchers at the University of Hawaii and Harvard University, which suggests that sodium nitrite in food may increase your risk of developing pancreatic cancer and leukemia by 67 and 74 percent, respectively.

Diabetes

Sodium nitrate may increase your risk of developing diabetes. A Natural News article references a study published in the journal "Diabetologia," which concludes that high intake of processed meat may increase your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes by as much as 41 percent. The Natural News article suggests that preservative compounds, such as nitrates, may contribute to the higher rate of diabetes because nitrates may interfere with your body's ability to produce insulin.

Toxicity

According to the National Institutes of Health's U.S. National Library of Medicine, you can die from a sodium nitrate dose of 20 to 23 mg/kg of your body, and lower doses can cause methemoglobinemia, particularly in infants. Methemoglobinemia is a condition that occurs when hemoglobin molecules in your blood lose the ability to carry oxygen effectively to your body tissues. Babies born with methemglobinemia may have bluish skin color at birth or shortly thereafter.