I researched some stuff for fun: Snuff and cancer risk


http://tinyurl.com/jzbz - The dry snuff has higher risk of cancer than the
other SLT (smokeless tobacco products). 

http://tinyurl.com/jzc5   - EU changes the labels on the snuff boxes from
Causes cancer to Can damage your health. Well, they proposed, not changed.

http://tinyurl.com/jzcd - Interesting study about the swedish snuff and
cancer. Ongoing.

http://tinyurl.com/jzcm - "Taken together, there is thus little evidence for
an increased risk of cancer. On the other hand, it is not possible to conclude
that snuff use does not increase the risk of cancer." "The health hazards of
snuff are in all likelihood smaller than those associated with smoking. "

http://tinyurl.com/jzd0 - About the oral cancer and its risks.

http://tinyurl.com/jzd9 - Interesting articles about smoking and tobacco harm
reduction.

http://tinyurl.com/jzdl - Summary of SLT product data vs. cancers. " There is
sufficient evidence that oral use of snuffs of the types commonly used in
North America and western Europe is carcinogenic to humans."

http://tinyurl.com/jzds - Quotes another report: "According to a 2001 report
from the National Academy of Sciences, the use of Swedish snuff (snus), which
contains lower levels of carcinogens than other varieties, "has generally not
been associated with oral cavity cancer." Bates et al. estimate that
"Scandinavian and American smokeless tobaccos are at least 90 percent less
hazardous than cigarette smoking." 

http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/3_63.htm - Smokeless tobacco and cancer: Q&A

http://www2.vhihealthe.com/topic/topic100587549 - Same kind of Q/A as
previous. Very negative about the benefits of SLT over cigarettes.

http://tinyurl.com/jze8  - Cancer risk factors

http://tinyurl.com/jzei - Tobacco fact sheet (PDF)

http://www.ash.org.uk/html/regulation/hrseminar/asplund.pdf - Interesting
summary/research. Interesting parts at "Snuff and noncardiovascular diseases"
speaks about cancer risks and mentions that recent studies have NOT firmly
proven that snuff sold in western countries causes cancer. 
"Is swedish snuff different" on the same article mentions that the swedish
snus is prepared quite differently from the other products (notably american
version which is fermented whereas swedish is heated and procuces much less of
some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). A chapter "A complicated message"
mentions in the beginning: "It is evident that the use of snuff involves much
lower risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer than cigarette smoking does."

Overall it seems that tobacco harmreduction via smokeless tobacco (snuff (==
snus == swedish moist snuff) ) is very controversal. Well I believe all the
harm reduction programs face the same problems.