NaNO2

& NaNO3
Nitrites & Nitrates
• May increase the risk
of developing cancer
(may be
carcinogenic).
• May increase
hyperactivity and
asthma in children
Sodium Chloride
• Can lead to hypertension (high
blood pressure) if consumed in
excess
 Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure or force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. When you
have hypertension (high blood pressure), it means the pressure against the blood vessel walls in your body is
consistently too high.
Your blood pressure reading has two numbers. The top number is the systolic blood pressure, which measures the
pressure on the blood vessel walls when your heart beats or contracts. The bottom number is the diastolic blood
pressure, which measures the pressure on your blood vessels between beats when your heart is relaxing.

• 1 in 3 Jamaicans are hypertensive – 35.8% women and 31.7% men,

according to the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey for 2016/17;
• Four out of every 10 Jamaicans with hypertension are unaware of
their status – 60% men and 26% women; and
• More and more Jamaicans aged 15 to 74 years old are developing
hypertension. In 2017, 31.5% of persons in this age group had high
blood pressure compared to 20.9% in 2001.
Sodium Benzoate

• May increase the risk

of developing cancer
(may be
carcinogenic).
• May increase
hyperactivity and
asthma in children.