What Is NDMA?

The chemical N-nitrosodimethylamine, commonly known as NDMA, is considered a contaminant but is fairly common in everyday life. As a Zantac injury claims attorney can explain, people have low levels of exposure regularly, often through water or foods such as meats, dairy products, and vegetables.

However, in larger doses, NDMA can possibly cause dire medical concerns. In animal studies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that mice, rats, hamsters, and other laboratory animals developed significant illnesses and even death after receiving NDMA in their food, water, or air. NDMA caused lung and liver cancer, liver damage and failure, internal bleeding, and more in the dosed animals.

What is NDMA: An Overview on its Uses, Exposure, And Dangers

NDMA is a yellow liquid in its pure form but you may still wonder, “What is NDMA?” While it occurs naturally and unintentionally, it is also sometimes produced intentionally in the United States for use in scientific laboratories, where it may induce tumor growth in animals. This chemical allows researchers to study treatments and potential cures for tumors, according to a products liability litigation involving Zantac.

According to these documents, there is research that shows NDMA can trigger cancerous tumor growth in humans, as well. The documents claim the evidence includes:

• Animal studies
• Human dietary studies
• Occupational exposure studies
• Numerous research articles

The cancerous tumors they claim are linked to NDMA can occur in many areas of the body, including:

• Bladder
• Esophagus
• Intestines
• Kidney
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Stomach

According to the CDC, NDMA occurs unintentionally during the processing of many items, including:

• Tobacco smoke
• Chewing tobacco
• Bacon and other cured meats
• Beer
• Fish
• Cheese
• Toiletry and cosmetic products
• Detergents
• Pesticides

NDMA also occurs as a byproduct of digesting and metabolizing certain foods, such as those containing alkylamine or nitrates.

Ranitidine May Expose Users to Extremely High Levels

While all NDMA contamination in medications is something that needs to be monitored, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an allowable daily allowance for this chemical in all medications approved and sold nationwide. The reason manufacturers, pharmacists, and retailers pulled Zantac and other ranitidine products from shelves in fall 2019 was because of the possibility that these levels exceeded the allowable limit. Once consumers heard of this, they began asking, “What is NDMA?”

According to the FDA, the levels of NDMA found in samples of ranitidine remained low, but it was still above their cut-off for maximum daily allowance. Claimants participating in the Zantac cancer multidistrict litigation, however, allege that the levels of NDMA that occur after the body metabolizes Zantac rise to significantly high levels. Especially when combined with certain foods that contain nitrates in their stomach. Often, the levels of NDMA rises exponentially and is “tens of thousands of times higher” than the FDA’s allowable daily threshold.

You May Qualify to Take Legal Action Against Zantac’s Manufacturer

If you believe you were exposed to excessive levels of NDMA by taking Zantac or another ranitidine product, and this caused your cancer, you may be eligible to take legal action. A lawyer may be able to help you understand the strength of your case, file a personal injury lawsuit, and join the multidistrict litigation already in progress as of March 2020.

To secure financial recovery in this type of case, your lawyer will need to collect evidence to prove three things:

• You took Zantac or another related medication containing NDMA
• You later developed and were diagnosed with cancer
• There is a link between your Zantac use and your cancer

One of the advantages of joining multidistrict litigation is that your lawyer only needs to prove the parts of your case that are unique to your case. This advantage means your lawyer will only need to identify and gather evidence to prove you used Zantac and received a cancer diagnosis.

The multidistrict litigation consolidates the discovery and pre-trial motions of many cases, meaning the link between Zantac use and cancer in humans will be paid for with shared resources, and anything uncovered will apply to the group as a whole.

Talk to a Zantac Cancer Attorney Today About Your NDMA Exposure

If you took Zantac and later developed cancer, NDMA exposure may have played a role. You may be able to file a lawsuit, join the ongoing multidistrict litigation, or take other steps to seek and secure compensation. You may be able to collect damages that include the cost of your treatment and care, lost wages, out-of-pocket costs, pain and suffering, and more.

Reach out to Zanes Law today by calling 866-499-8989. We offer free Zantac cancer case reviews and can sign you up for representation during your initial case consultation. We handle these cases on a contingency basis. You do not pay us anything unless we recover a payout for you.