113. Occupational cancers
- General about occupational cancers
- International Agency for Research on Cancer – IARC
- Involved in occupational cancer research
- Evaluates and classifies chemicals, occupations, physical effects, industrial processes, according to their carcinogenetic potential
- Group 1 – definitely carcinogenic
- 113 substances
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- UV radiation
- Processed meat
- Group 2A – probably carcinogenic
- Red meat
- Fried food
- Group 2B – possibly carcinogenic
- Coffee
- Welding fumes
- Group 3 – not classifiable as carcinogenic
- Due to lack of enough evidence
- Magnetic fields
- Tea
- Group 4 – probably not carcinogenic
- Only 1 substance
- Group 1 – definitely carcinogenic
- Annually registered cases of occupation cancer in Hungary – 10 to 30 cases
- Massive underreporting
- CAREX database – holds data on the occupational carcinogen exposure in Europe
- Occupational cancer is the main cause of occupational death in Europe
- Occupational cancer accounts for 8% of cancers
- 23% of the workforce is exposed to occupational carcinogens on a daily basis
- Most frequent occupational carcinogenic exposures
- Solar (UV) radiation
- Tobacco smoke
- Silica crystals
- Diesel exhaust
- Cancer initiators
- One-time exposure is sufficient
- Bind to DNA and cause mutations
- Irreversible effect
- Examples
- PAH
- Tobacco
- Nitrosamines
- Cancer promoters
- Repeated exposure is necessary
- No carcinogenic effect without an initiator
- Does not bind to DNA
- Reversible effect
- Examples
- DDT
- PCB
- Tobacco smoke
- Carcinogens are stochastic, i.e. there is no “safe” level of exposure to the carcinogens, and the probability of cancer increases with dose
- Many environmental carcinogens are also encountered in occupations, so the distinction between environmental and occupational carcinogens is not always straight forward
- Aflatoxin, cyclophosphamide, UV radiation, PAH, etc.
- Most frequent occupational cancers
- Lung and pleura
- Bladder
- Skin
- International Agency for Research on Cancer – IARC
- Lung cancer
- Occupations
- Miners
- Construction workers
- Shipyard workers
- Occupational carcinogens
- Asbestos
- Radon
- PAHs
- Arsenic
- Prevention of asbestos exposure
- Find out where asbestos is
- Only qualified workers should remove it
- It’s more dangerous to remove it than to leave it (as that releases it into the air)
- Use HEPA filters
- Occupations
- Bladder cancer
- Slow acetylators (slow NAT2) have higher risk
- Occupations
- Dye industry
- Leather industry
- Rubber industry
- Occupational carcinogens
- Benzidine
- Naphthylamine
- Anillin dye
- Skin cancer
- Occupations
- Outside workers (agriculture, etc.)
- Occupational carcinogens
- Arsenic
- UV
- Prevention
- Protective clothing
- Sunscreen
- Occupations
- Leukaemia
- Occupational carcinogen
- Benzene
- Occupational carcinogen