Effects of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) on urinary bladder carcinogenesis were examined in rats simultaneously treated with N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN). Groups of 20 6-wk-old Fischer 344 male rats were given 10, 100, or 1,000 ppm BITC in the diet or a basal diet with 50 ppm BBN in the drinking water for 40 wk and then killed for autopsy. Additional groups consisting of 10 or 9 rats were similarly given BITC or the basal diet alone without BBN treatment. With BBN treatment, dysplasia, papilloma, and carcinoma incidences and multiplicities were dramatically decreased by simultaneous treatment with BITC in a clear dose-dependent manner. In contrast, epithelial hyperplasia was induced in rats treated with 100 and 1,000 ppm BITC without BBN. These results clearly indicate that although BITC may have weak carcinogenic potency, it is a potent chemopreventive agent against bladder tumor induction by BBN.