When Shakespeare wrote “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” he was speaking of politics, not mutton. But here in Kashmir, our latest scandal proves that rotten meat is not just a metaphor—it’s a deadly reality, and one with profound consequences for public health.

International research leaves little doubt: food additives like nitrites, nitrates, and synthetic preservatives—especially when combined with decomposing meat—form a toxic cocktail that fuels cancer risk. As someone who has spent years studying how carcinogens trigger cancer in the laboratory, I can assure you this is no academic scare story. It is science, and it is sobering.

What Science Says About Additives and Cancer

Processed meats—sausages, kebabs, cold cuts—often rely on nitrites and nitrates to suppress bacterial growth and keep the product looking “fresh.” On the surface, it sounds helpful. But inside the human body, particularly in the acidic stomach, these additives form N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), some of the most potent carcinogens known.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and landmark cohort studies across France, the United........

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