N-nitroso compounds are potent carcinogens in animal experiments and are mainly characterized by their pronounced organ-specific effects. Carcinogens of this type have been shown to occur in the human environment; human exposure has to be considered a health risk for exposed populations. Scientific research therefore has to elucidate the causes of such human exposure and to work out strategies for exposure elimination or, at least, for exposure reduction. From our own work in this field of primary cancer prevention three examples are described, demonstrating successful progress: the occurrence of dimethylnitrosamine in beer, occupational nitrosamine exposure in the rubber industry, and the occurrence of so-called tobacco-specific nitrosamines.
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