the nitrite/nitrate debate

We are currently working on making our own sausages in class. My team is making a French Garlic Sausage and we are using a salt mixture that contains nitrite. Many people are concerned about the compound that can develop from the body's digestion of nitrite because it is carcinogenic. However, over 700 other compounds have been tested to replace nitrites/nitrates and none are as effective at keeping the sausage safe from a food borne illness called Botulism, which is fatal. In addition, we did the math tonight and you would need to eat 55 lbs of sausage in one sitting to obtain the amount of nitrite that would be potentially hazardous to your health due to health regulations of how much nitrite can possibly be used in food.