Excerpt:
Concern has repeatedly been expressed in the scientific and popular literature about the extent and effects of nitrate and nitrite in our diet. In order to provide some perspective on the amounts, a calculation has been made to evaluate the relative contribution of various known sources of nitrate and nitrite to the U.S. dietary. Combining estimates of per capita consumption of various categories of food and drink with average values for nitrate and nitrite content of these diet components (some only recently available) has made it possible to attribute the nitrate and nitrite intake of the average U.S. inhabitant to major dietary categories.
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