Nitrosamines in industrial atmospheres

The presence of A-nitrosamines in the atmosphere, workplace, food, and articles of common use should be monitored and later eliminated. Checking the presence of nitrosamines is particularly important for products intended for direct contact with food and the human body. This applies especially to rubber articles intended for infants and children (e.g., pacifiers and toys) and products used in the food industry (e.g., hoses, belts, machine parts). Despite the fact that nitrosamines in rubber products are present in very low concentrations (parts per million and lower), these compounds can threaten health. 

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],... 

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