Health officials are blaming the chemical sodium nitrite for a sudden illness that sickened six people in downtown Yonkers earlier this week. Westchester County Health Department spokeswoman Mary Landrigan says the victims ingested the chemical from a packet labeled "refined iodized table salt." But the packets were instead full of sodium nitrite. Sodium nitrite is found in preservatives such as hot dogs and can be deadly if ingested in large quantities. Health officials identified the victims as adults of Egyptian heritage. They were at a dinner party featuring a dish with many ingredients, including a processed food that they had brought in from Egypt. Five of the victims remain in the hospital.