Sodium nitrate in food: ingestion safety
High riskNot medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →
Dietary sodium-nitrate intake via cured-meat (E251) + processed-meat + leafy-green-vegetable + drinking-water (well + agricultural-runoff) cohort produces colorectal-cancer signal per IARC vol 94 (2010) Group 2A 'Ingested nitrate under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation' + IARC vol 114 (2018) processed-meat Group 1 framework. EFSA ADI + EPA NPDWR drinking-water MCL + ATSDR + acute-methemoglobinemia infant cohort framework all ground the high-magnitude dietary hazard.
What is sodium nitrate?
Also known as: Chile saltpeter, Cubic niter, Soda niter, Nitrate of soda.
- IUPAC name
- sodium nitrate
- CAS number
- 7631-99-4
- Molecular formula
- NNaO3
- Molecular weight
- 84.995 g/mol
- SMILES
- [N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[Na+]
- PubChem CID
- 24268
Risk for people
High riskDietary sodium-nitrate intake via cured-meat (E251) + processed-meat + leafy-green-vegetable + drinking-water (well + agricultural-runoff) cohort produces colorectal-cancer signal per IARC vol 94 (2010) Group 2A 'Ingested nitrate under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation' + IARC vol 114 (2018) processed-meat Group 1 framework. EFSA ADI + EPA NPDWR drinking-water MCL + ATSDR + acute-methemoglobinemia infant cohort framework all ground the high-magnitude dietary hazard.
Regulatory consensus
3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Sodium nitrate. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IARC | 2010 | Group 2A — Ingested nitrate under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation is probably carcinogenic to humans (IARC Monograph Volume 94, 2010); sodium nitrate (E251) is classified as Group 2A when converted to nitrite endogenously (by oral bacterial nitrate reductase and gastric conversion) and further to N-nitroso compounds; dietary nitrate from vegetables (not from processed meat nitrate) is contextually distinct and associated with cardiovascular benefit via NO pathway; the nitrate carcinogenicity concern applies specifically to conditions enabling endogenous nitrosation | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 14 positive / 3 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 14 positive / 3 negative reports) |
Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.
Where you encounter sodium nitrate
- Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
- Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles
- Food — processed food, beverages, candy, baked goods
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Sodium nitrate:
-
Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.Relative cost: Variable; lower long-term
Frequently asked questions
Is sodium nitrate safe for you?
Dietary sodium-nitrate intake via cured-meat (E251) + processed-meat + leafy-green-vegetable + drinking-water (well + agricultural-runoff) cohort produces colorectal-cancer signal per IARC vol 94 (2010) Group 2A 'Ingested nitrate under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation' + IARC vol 114 (2018) processed-meat Group 1 framework. EFSA ADI + EPA NPDWR drinking-water MCL + ATSDR + acute-methemoglobinemia infant cohort framework all ground the high-magnitude dietary hazard.
What products contain sodium nitrate?
Sodium nitrate appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments); processed food (Food).
Why do regulators disagree about sodium nitrate?
Sodium nitrate has been classified by 3 agencies including IARC, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.
See Sodium nitrate in the food app
Look up products containing sodium nitrate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in food View raw API dataSources (5)
- IARC Group 2A Ingested Nitrate Endogenous Nitrosation Vol 94 2010; Entero-Salivary Nitrate Recycling Salivary Bacteria Nitrate Reductase Nitrite; Vegetable Nitrate vs Processed Meat Nitrate Context Paradox; Beetroot Juice Nitrate-Nitrite-NO Cardiovascular Benefit; Chile Saltpeter Atacama Fertilizer; Concentrated Solar Power Molten Salt 600C Heat Transfer; EU E251 150 mg/kg Cured Meat; Drinking Water 50 mg/L EU WHO; Eutrophication Nitrates Directive 91/676/EC Vulnerable Zones; Blue Baby Syndrome Infant Formula Well Water; EU CLP Ox Sol 3 H272 (2010) — regulatory
- EFSA Re-evaluation of Sodium and Potassium Nitrate (E249-E252) as Food Additives — Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) framework + EFSA-CONTAM Panel cured-meat-cohort opinion (2017) — regulatory
- IARC Monographs Volume 114 — Red Meat and Processed Meat (Processed Meat classified Group 1 Carcinogenic to Humans for colorectal cancer; canonical sodium-nitrate + nitrite + N-nitroso-compound endogenous-formation framework) (2018) — regulatory
- ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Nitrate and Nitrite (2017) — regulatory
- US EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations — Nitrate (NO3⁻) MCL 10 mg/L as N + 1 mg/L Nitrite as N + acute-methemoglobinemia infant + agricultural-runoff cohort framework (2024) — regulatory
Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →