Is American dip safe?

[ILoveSnus]

I've been using smokeless tobacco for quite a while now. I was wondering if American dipping tobacco is just as safe as Swedish snus? Don't get me wrong, I love Swedish snus and would use it exclusively if it were more available but I also like to dip too.

I've been doing a lot of Googling on this matter, and scientists almost unanimously agree that Swedish snus does not cause cancer, but as soon as you enter "dipping tobacco" into a search engine just about every page I get says "Dipping tobacco will kill you...causes cancer....causes gum disease..."

However, dipping tobacco products made by Pinkerton (a subsidiary of Swedish Match) supposedly have the same nitrosamine levels as snus.

So, which is safer, dip or snus?

[lxskllr]

I honestly don't know. I never really researched dip, as I'm not interested in it. Anecdotal evidence says that dip's more harmful, but I don't give that as much weight as scientific papers. My off the cuff answer is it's much safer than cigarettes, but not as safe as snus.

[resnor]

From the site tobaccoharmreduction.org, I found some stats, that I recently talked with my doctor about (and she concurred with) concerning dip. Baseline for oral cancer is pretty low...if you don't smoke, drink, or chew, 2 out 100,000 will get oral cancer. If you dip, your odds skyrocket to 4 out of 100,000...DOUBLING YOUR CHANCES OF ORAL CANCER!!!

[Premium Parrots]

and that would be a .004 % change of getting oral cancer? [if I have enough 0s in there]

doesn't seem like much of a chance to me.


almost seems like dip is a cure.

[MJ26]

Even if it causes cancer I am almost sure that the risks are somehow overstated.

[resnor]

Right, PP. Your risk of cancer from dip seems to be extraordinarily exaggerated. Apparently alot of the anti-dip numbers come from an almost 50 year old study that was done on older women living in Appalachia who used dip. Dip does have much higher TSNA amounts than Swedish snus, though.

[ILoveSnus]

Wow I feel much better now, thanks for the peace of mind guys!

If it makes a difference, the only brands I buy are Pinkerton brands, my favorites being Timberwolf and Longhorn. I emailed them and they said all products made by Swedish Match and Pinkerton have TSNA content of less than 5 parts per million. (Their Swedish snus is about 2PPM!)

[Premium Parrots]

.......but what about the fiberglass?

[resnor]

Well, without the fiberglass, how would you get the nicotine?? Snus uses salt, dip uses fiberglass. Since when is fiberglass in your mouth unhealthy?

[snusjus]

Dip is safer than it used to be, although it still contains higher TSNAs than Swedish snus brands, with the exception of Red Man, Timberwolf, and Longhorn. If you want the lowest risk product, snus is the definite option. Personally, I am much more comfortable with using Scandinavian snus, as years of stringent research has confirmed it does not cause oral cancer. I feel hesitant to use dip regularly, as the risk of modern American products has yet to be determined.

[Snusdog]

My concern with dip is the other factors that enter into the discussion. From the research that I have seen the TSNAs are higher than snus but some companies have lowered that count for their brands (still a bit higher than snus).

However for me the TSNA is only a part of the equation. I dipped for 25 years....... Copenhagen, then Red Seal, then Timber Wolf. My experience then is not with an occassional dip but constant dipping over an extended period of time (now I chain snus and have been doing so for some 4 years). Here is my concern and why I will not go back to dip

1) Dip tore my gums up to no end............. in ways that snus never has.........my gums have healed and are all but smooth now
2) Dip gave me heart burn and I could never swallow the juice..............not the case with snus
3) The addictiveness of something other than Nicotine in dip that I craved even after switching to snus (my bottom lip actually craved it for about a month after making the change to snus and I could feel its absence in the snus fix.... if that makes sense)
4) Lower TSNA levels in snus compared to all dip

The point is dip and snus are not the same and the TSNA is only part of it....................there are other things going on with dip......................and that concerned me as much if not more than TSNA levels.

That said.................I know certain dip companies have become more TSNA conscious...........and that is a good thing.................however for me personally my experience with snus has made it worth the extra hassle.

My advice would be to stick with snus..........not in the "bogyman, scare tactic, your face is going to fall off if you dip" sort of way...............but just because from beginning to end the process of making snus is safer and held to a higher purity standard than dip.................but if you do decide to go with dip I would just tell you to listen to your body.................and if you start noticing anything over time with dip then reassess

Hope this helps

[Owens187]

I dont trust anything made in the USA, as a rule. In this country, the bottom line is that the bottom line is the bottom line. Screw it if you die, theres plenty of kids where you came from.....

[TheOneandOnly]

It's not even cancer you should be worried about when using dip... But after years of habitual dipping, you can have severe gum and lower tooth problems.. I've talked to several middle aged dippers that have had skin and gum grafts on their bottum gums from years of dipping. And those types of surgery are extremely expensive!

[snusjus]

It's not even cancer you should be worried about when using dip... But after years of habitual dipping, you can have severe gum and lower tooth problems.. I've talked to several middle aged dippers that have had skin and gum grafts on their bottum gums from years of dipping. And those types of surgery are extremely expensive!

I know someone who needed a gum graft after 3 years of dipping Grizzly; it was in the exact area where he placed his tobacco. I'm not exaggerating or lying. Like other posters have said, there is something distinctive about dip tobacco that erodes gum tissue aside from TSNAs -- I've yet to see a snus user who required a gum graft due to their habit.

[TheOneandOnly]

I know someone who needed a gum graft after 3 years of dipping Grizzly; it was in the exact area where he placed his tobacco. I'm not exaggerating or lying. Like other posters have said, there is something distinctive about dip tobacco that erodes gum tissue aside from TSNAs -- I've yet to see a snus user who required a gum graft due to their habit.

I certainly believe you, I've even met people who developed leukplakia after a few years dipping fruity Skoals..