Research into the negative or positive health effects of nasal snuff tobacco seem to be quite thin on the ground, largely due to its decrease in popularity over the past century. Most reports just place all smokeless tobacco products into one category, which includes dipping tobacco, chewing tobacco and snus, so it is difficult to make any firm judgement on the subject.

So to help you make up your own mind I have searched the web for all relevant articles that I could find that refer as much as possible to nasal snuff tobacco:

Smokeless New Zealand
Most recent report on the benefits of using nasal snuff tobacco to give up smoking.
Includes:

• Is quitting smoking entirely, better than switching to snuff?
• Comparing cigarettes, snuff and nicotine for quelling the urge to smoke
• Nasal snuff – chemical analyses
• Snuffing linked with lower overall cancer rates than smoking at the main sites of tobacco use

British Medical Journal
1981 report from the British Medical Journal on 'Nicotine Uptake by Snuff Users

Cambridge Journals
“Although it contains substances that are potentially carcinogenic, at present, there is no firm evidence, relating the use of nasal snuff to a higher incidence of head and neck or other malignancies.”

Harm Reduction Journal
An interesting article on all forms of smokeless tobacco – mainly oral.
Introduces the concept of harm reduction and provides reasons for use of smokeless tobacco as nicotine replacement, highlights health risks and gives a detailed overview of the subject.

BBC News Site
Referring to the study done on Cherokees, which saw an eightfold increase in the risk of developing breast cancer.

Quit Victoria
From Australian quit smoking website
Article mainly refers to oral use of smokeless tobacco.
Read ‘inhalation of smokeless tobacco’ section:

“it is difficult to observe its effects in large enough populations over long enough time periods for consistent health data to emerge.”

Science Direct
Refers to study of 29 snufftakers in India
Concludes that:
“Our study shows that snuff users, after long-term abuse, develop a form of chronic rhinitis, as a consequence of which they develop blocked and stuffy noses. We conclude that nasal snuff is not a suitable substitute for smoked tobacco because it does not avoid ill health."

Snuffing, Smoking and the Risk for Heart Disease and Other Vascular Diseases
Report for ASH - Detailed overall report, mainly referring to the use of snus in Sweden and no specific mentions of nasal snuff.

UK Parliament
Debate on health issues surrounding snuff tobacco in the House of Lords

If you find any other interesting articles on health issues surrounding nasal snuff tobacco then please send to me and I will add to the list, or just add a comment and link below.

See Also: Snuff in the Press