Monday, August 18, 2008

That's inflammatory! Part Two

Inflammatory? Not sure. toxic, yes.
Sodium Nitrate. This chemical is used in meat packing plants to preserve meat. Pretty much any meat you buy at your average grocery store or deli is going to have been preserved with sodium nitrate. I sincerely doubt that the guy behind the deli or meat counter wants to kill you by feeding you something toxic. But did you know that you *can* kill someone with a large enough dose of sodium nitrate? In fact, a woman who was in love with another woman's husband purposely dosed the wife with sodium nitrate (which she obtained from her job at the meat-packing plant). She gave her enough to make her sick, not kill her.

according to "How Stuff," Stuff like salami, hot dogs, pepperoni, bologna, ham, bacon and SPAM all normally contain sodium nitrate as one of the ingredients. Fresh meats generally do not contain any added chemicals.

The chemical is added to inhibit botulism and keep the pink color, so when you open a can of SPAM, it's pink instead of grey.
I don't know about you, but it really makes me think about whether I want to keep eating lunch meat.

Is it inflammatory? well, we know it's toxic. large quantities of sodium nitrate have caused cancer in animals. Meat itself can be inflammatory.
Post a Comment