Increased exposure to dietary amines and nitrate in a population at high risk of oesophageal and gastric cancer in Kashmir (India).

Analytical data on aliphatic amines and nitrate from the most commonly used fresh and sun-dried vegetables, red chillies and a widely consumed beverage, salted tea, are presented from a high risk area for oesophageal and gastric cancer in Kashmir. Exposure estimates for the adult population show that high consumption of boiled Brassica vegetables leads to a high nitrate intake of 237 mg/day. The frequent consumption of hot salted tea is shown to result in exceptionally high exposure to methylamine (1200 micrograms/day), ethylamine (14,320 micrograms/day), dimethylamine (150 micrograms/day) and diethylamine (400 micrograms/day). The indiscriminate use of red chillies in the area leads to exposure to dimethylamine (280 micrograms/day), pyrrolidine (517 micrograms/day) and methylbenzylamine (40 micrograms/day). This is to our knowledge the first report where a chronic exposure to methylbenzylamine has been shown in a population at high risk of oesophageal cancer.