jbray@bbncca.ARPA (James Bray) (10/12/83)
In the case of the bacon-fat saved during the war causing cancer, I would expect that would most likely be caused by nitrosamines, potent carcinogens that can be formed in a number of ways (as for example that province in China which had a high rate of esophageal cancer, eventually traced to the local habit of pickling vegetables, producing I believe nitrosamines as a decay product). One of the ways is cooking a protein in the presence of nitrates or nitrites (one is more reactive, I forget which). The nitrate/nitrite reacts with amino acids from the protein to produce nitrosamines. --Jim Bray (decvax!bbncca!jbray)