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Evidence for the Occurrence of N-Nitrosamines in Tobacco

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Abstract

THE possible significance of N-nitrosamines as aetiological factors in human carcinogenesis is based on the widespread occurrence of nitrosamine precursors (S-amines and nitrites) in biological systems1,2 and the remarkable way in which various nitrosamines can affect different organs in the same species of experimental animal3. These observations have prompted the development of improved analytical techniques for the qualitative and quantitative determination of N-nitrosamines in biological material4–7, and the application of these methods to the analysis of condensates of tobacco smoke has revealed the presence of small amounts of a number of carcinogenic nitrosamines in tobacco smoke4,6,7.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    W. J. SERFONTEIN & J. H. SMIT

Authors
  1. W. J. SERFONTEIN
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  2. J. H. SMIT
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SERFONTEIN, W., SMIT, J. Evidence for the Occurrence of N-Nitrosamines in Tobacco. Nature 214, 169–170 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/214169a0

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