Environmental carcinogens, nitrosamines

Cyclic nitrosamines are among the most potent and environmentally significant nitrosamine carcinogens. Like the acyclic nitrosamines, metabolism is necessary for their carcinogenicity. Elucidation of the specific metabolic pathways of cyclic nitrosamine activation and detoxification is a challenging problem, and considerable progress has been achieved in recent years. In this chapter, we will review metabolic studies on N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), N -nitrosonornicotine (NNN), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), N-nitrosohexamethyleneimine (NHEX), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR),... 

Egan, H. Preussmann, R. Walker, E.A. Castegnaro, M. Wasserman, A.E. Eds. "Environmental Carcinogens Selected Methods of Analysis Vol. 1 - Analysis of Volatile Nitrosamines in Food." lARC Scientific Publications No. 18. International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyon, 1978. Walker, E.A. Griciute, L. Castegnaro, M. Borzsonyi, M., Eds. "N-Nitroso Compounds Analysis Formation and Occurrence" lARC Scientific Publications No. 31. International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyon, 1980. Hedler, L. Schurr, C. Marquadt, P. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 1979, 681-684. 

Letterman RD (ed) (1999) Water quality and treatment A handbook of community water supplies, 5th ed., Amer. Water Works Assoc., McGraw-Hill, New York Lijinsky W, Epstein SS (1970) Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens. Nature 225 21-23 Lin S, Marshall EG, Davidson GK (1994) Potential parental exposure to pesticides and hmb reduction defects. Scand J Work Environ Health 20 166-179 Linak, E, Lutz, HJ, Nakamura E (1990) Chlorinated Solvents. In Linak E, Lutz HJ, Nakamura E, C2 chlorinated solvents, chemical economics handbook, Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, CA, pp. 632.30000a-632.3001z Lindsay WL (1979) Chemical equilibria in soils. John Wiley, New York... 

The polychlorinated biphenyls occur widely as environmental pollutants and have been observed in the food chain. GC-MS has been applied in various aspects of their analysis (for leading references see [504, 505,513]). In the general area of food chemistry and contamination control, claims for the presence of carcinogenic nitrosamines in foodstuffs have been evaluated by specific GC-MS techniques [514,515]. However, it has been suggested that there may be a current over obsessive interest in the possible hazards of a few ppb of nitrosoamines in food [516]. 

Vermeer IT and Maanen JM (2001) Nitrate exposure and the endogenous formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in humans. Reviews on Environmental Health 16(2) 105-116. 

Lijinsky, W. and Epstein S.S. (1970) Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens. Nature (London) 225, 21-23. 

Adams, J.D. and K.D. Brannemann Analysis of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in sidestream tobacco smoke in Environmental carcinogens. 9. Passive smoking, edited by I.K. O NeiU, K.D. Brannemann, B. Dodet, and D. Hoffmann, lARC, Lyon, Prance, lARC Sci. Publ. No. 81 (1988) 231-238. 

Hoffmann, D. and K.D. Brunnemann GC-TEA of volatile nitrosamines from tobacco products in Environmental carcinogens. Selected methods of analysis. Vol. 6 V-Nitroso compounds, edited by H. Egan, R. Preussmann, G. Eisenbrand, T. Spiegelhalder, I.K. 

Nitrosonomicotine Presence in tobacco, formation and carcinogenicity in Environmental A-nitrosamines Analysis and formation, edited by E.A. Walter, P. Bogovski, and L. Griciute, lARC, Lyon, France, lARC Sci. Publ. No. 14 (1976) 307-320. 

Serfontein, W.J. and P. Hurter Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens. II. Occurrence of nitrosamines... 

Cancer Cong., Tokyo, Japan (1966) Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens. A review of the chemical and biological aspects S. African Cancer Bull. 10... 

Preussmann, R., Walker, E. A., Wasserman, A. E., and Casteg-naro, M. (eds). Environmental Carcinogens-Selected Methods of Analysis, Vol. 1 "Nitrosamines", lARC Scientific Publications, No. 18, Lyon, 1978... 

Lijinsky, W. Epstein, S.S. Nitrosamines as Environmental Carcinogens. Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska College of Medicine, www.nature.com/ nature/joumaFv225/n5227/abs/225021a0.html... 

Nitrates and nitrites are spread within environmental, food, industrial, and physiological systems. Nitrate may be reduced by bacteria to nitrite, and nitrite produces carcinogenic nitrosamines. Nitrite is also commonly employed in cured meat products to provide antimicrobial action, color fixation, and preservation. Nitrite can oxidize hemoglobin iron(II) to iron(III) resulting in methemoglobin, leading to a condition known as methemoglobinemia in children mainly. In excess, nitrates and nitrites may be toxic. 

Recently, a phenomenon labeled thirdhand smoke has been attributed to the reaction of nicotine with ambient nitrous oxide on environmental surfaces to produce the carcinogenic nitrosamines. Surfaces shown to promote nitrosamine include ubiquitous cellulosic material [55],... 

Carcinogenicity of NDELA. Our special interest in NDELA as a constituent of tobacco products and as an environmental agent relates to the observation that this nitrosamine induces carcinoma of the liver as well as of the kidney in rats (21,22) and carcinoma of the nasal cavity and papillomas of the trachea in hamsters (23). Recently, Lijinsky reported that NDELA admini-... 

The NO + 03 chemiluminescent reaction [Reactions (1-3)] is utilized in two commercially available GC detectors, the TEA detector, manufactured by Thermal Electric Corporation (Saddle Brook, NJ), and two nitrogen-selective detectors, manufactured by Thermal Electric Corporation and Antek Instruments, respectively. The TEA detector provides a highly sensitive and selective means of analyzing samples for A-nitrosamines, many of which are known carcinogens. These compounds can be found in such diverse matrices as foods, cosmetics, tobacco products, and environmental samples of soil and water. The TEA detector can also be used to quantify nitroaromatics. This class of compounds includes many explosives and various reactive intermediates used in the chemical industry [121]. Several nitroaromatics are known carcinogens, and are found as environmental contaminants. They have been repeatedly identified in organic aerosol particles, formed from the reaction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with atmospheric nitric acid at the particle surface [122-124], The TEA detector is extremely selective, which aids analyses in complex matrices, but also severely limits the number of potential applications for the detector [125-127],... 

Relative Risks of Nitrosamines. The mere existence of reproducible variations in carcinogenicity from one nitrosamine to another is directly relevant to the question of potential human health hazards from environmental nitrosamines. The problem of nitrosamines in cooked bacon is a simple and straightforward example. 

In summary, it appears that the differences in carcinogenic potency for both cyclic and acyclic N-nitrosodialkylamines are real and systematic, and that the potencies of environmental nitrosamines should be considered in assessing the relative hazards associated with these compounds. In addition, it can be shown that the carcinogenicity of nitrosamines can be associated... 

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