Intake of volatile N-nitrosamines and their ability to exogenously synthesize in the diet of inhabitants from high-risk area of esophageal cancer in southern China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Nan'ao County in Guandong Province is a high-risk area of esophageal cancer in Southern China. Of the suspected etiological factors in the environment, N-nitrosamines and their precursors have received the greatest attention.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty samples of the diet ingested by the inhabitants were collected and detected for volatile N-nitrosamines and their precursors. Five N-nitrosamines detected by Gas Chromatography-Thermal Energy Analyzer were N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosopiperidine and N-nitrosomethyl-benzylamine.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average content of 5 volatile N-nitrosamines in the diet was 312.0 micrograms/kg (median). The daily intake of the nitrosamines was 286.5 micrograms/head/day. Only the ability to exogenously synthesize N-nitrosopiperidine was powerful among 5 volatile N-nitrosamines. By a computerized stepwise regression analysis and curve fitting, we studied the correlation among the nitrosamines, the precursors and the major food items in the samples.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It demonstrated that a relatively high content of volatile N-nitrosamines was present in the diet collected in the area.</p>