Snuff dipping is causally related to cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. The most powerful carcinogens in snuff are nitroso compounds, particularly the tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA). Concentrations of TSNA in snuff exceed the known concentrations of carcinogenic nitrosamines in any other consumer product by two to three orders of magnitude. During the last decade a gradual decrease in TSNA has occurred in the two leading snuff brands in the USA (about 90% of the market). Of two recently introduced snuff brands one has relatively low levels of nitroso compounds while the other contains the highest concentrations of nitrosamines ever reported in smokeless tobacco. This observation suggests that control of nitrosamines in snuff brands on the US market is desirable.