The Workplace can cause cancer according to recent study
The Workplace can cause cancer according to recent study
A new study says the number of cancers caused by occupation is vastly
underestimated, finding that about 1.5 million Australians each year are
exposed to known carcinogens through their work.
Researchers from the Queensland Cancer Fund and the University of Sydney
aimed to estimate the proportion of cancers caused by occupational factors
in Australia.
They noted that previous studies had most likely underestimated the true
contribution of work to cancer, by excluding cancers that occurred after
retirement age and some particular cancers - such as breast cancer - which
weren't traditionally thought to be work-related but had since been linked
to various occupations.
The researchers used a methodology developed in Finland, where a study
used Census data on occupation and a database of occupational hygiene
measurements to determine the number of workers exposed to 74 chemical,
physical and microbiological agents.
The Australian researchers obtained the number of cancers from the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and then for each type of
cancer, multiplied the Finnish estimate of the percentage that was
occupationally caused.
They found about 5000 cancers each year (about 11 per cent of cancers in
men and two per cent of cancers in women) were occupationally caused (much
higher than the generally accepted figure of 2%).
As well, they found that about 34,000 non-melanoma skin cancers may be
caused by occupation.
The study estimated that among men, work caused:
-
90 per cent of mesothelioma;
-
29 per cent of bronchus and lung cancer;
-
24 per cent of nose and nasal sinuses cancer;
-
18.5 per cent of leukaemia; and
- 14.2 per cent of bladder cancers.
-
25 per cent of mesothelioma;
-
6.7 per cent of nose and nasal sinuses cancer;
-
5.4 per cent of stomach cancer; and
- 5.3 per cent of liver, bronchus and lung cancers.
The researchers said their data suggested that about 1.5 million workers in
Australia were occupationally exposed to known carcinogens each year. The
industries with th4e most exposure were the construction industry and
wholesale and retail trade and restaurants (in which the proportion of
exposed workers was low but the number of workers was high).
Relevant exposures for workers in the construction industry were to
silica, solar radiation and diesel exhaust, while workers in the retail and
restaurant industry were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.
The researchers said their figures were considerably higher than previous
Australian estimates, "and should act as a spur to elevate the importance
of occupation as a cause of cancer in order to decrease the population
burden of cancer".
Source: OHS Alert June 19th 2006
