N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in Food and Beverages: A Comparison in Context to Drinking Water

Human exposure to N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from foods and beverages was modeled and upper-bound cancer risks were predicted for the United States and Canada. Approximately 0.5 (0-10.8) cancer incidents per million population from lifetime exposure to NDMA in drinking water were estimated. Lifetime exposure to NDMA from the major exogenous sources may result in 49.6 (range: 17.7-171.7) cancer incidents per million population, while meat products contribute the most (15.9/million) followed by milk products (10.9/million). Drinking water may contribute approximately 1% to the exogenous cancer risk and holds the 10th position among 10 exogenous sources. The sum of the cancer risks from the major exogenous sources (e.g., 49.6/million) is higher than the permissible limits (1-10/million) of several regulatory agencies. Thus, NDMA in exogenous sources can pose a significant source for cancer risk. Cancer risk from the exogenous sources was estimated to be much lower than that of the NDMA in the endogenous source (<1%).