Cancer-causing compounds found in everyday food

Cancer-causing chemical compounds called nitrosamines have been detected in a range of everyday foods and could pose a health risk to consumers, the European Food Safety Agency warned yesterday. The 10 nitrosamines -- which are not intentionally added to food but which can form during its preparation and processing -- are carcinogenic and also genotoxic, which means they may damage DNA, according to a new study conducted by the European Union agency. "Our assessment concludes that for all age groups across the EU population, the level of exposure to nitrosamines in food raises a health concern," said Dieter Schrenk, chair of the EFSA's panel on contaminants in the food chain. "Based on animal studies, we considered the incidence of liver tumours in rodents as the most critical health effect," he added. Nitrosamines have been detected in foods including cured meat, processed fish, cocoa, beer and other alcoholic drinks, the EFSA said.