Estimates of work-related cancers in workers exposed to carcinogens.

Aim: To evaluate the proportion of work-related cancers.

Methods: A descriptive study of incident cases of cancer during 3 years in a French county. All people with cancer having a current or past working history were included in the studied population which was recruited from local hospitals. A working history was obtained from each subject by interview. The different organ cancers were linked using well-defined criteria, to specific occupational carcinogenic exposures. The results obtained were compared to international data on work-related cancer incidences.

Results: A total of 2009 cases were included and 3.18% (64) met the criteria for work-related cancer as defined. Asbestos and polycyclic hydrocarbons were the main occupational carcinogens identified. Construction and fabricated metal products sectors were linked to almost two-thirds of work-related cancers. The percentage of the studied population with attributable risk for occupational cancer was relatively close to international data (mean 4%) and organ cancer distribution percentages did not vary significantly from international published validated data.

Conclusion: Work-related cancers tend to be concentrated in relatively small groups of people among whom the risk of developing the disease may be quite large. The detection of occupational hazards should therefore have a higher priority in any programme of cancer prevention. Well-defined criteria to identify specifically cancers with an occupational origin should be specified by the scientific international community.