240-87 NitrosaminesSSPRINT.fh8

chemistry Nitrosamines (NAs) are a family of chemical compounds discovered over 100 years ago. It was not until the 1950s that these compounds received worldwide attention. In the 1950s, two British scientists, Barnes and Magee discovered that dimethylnitrosamine is a powerful carcinogen in laboratory animals. This finding led to massive studies involving NAs in many industries throughout the years. Due to the advent of more reliable, sophisticated testing equipment developed in the early 1980s, over 250 different nitrosamine (NA) compounds have tested positive as mutagens (chemicals that change DNA) and carcinogens. NA compounds tend to target organs such as the liver, kidney, lungs, skin and eyes.