Occhealth Bulletin
25 March 2009
Reducing exposure to chemical carcinogens in the workplace
Category: Reviews
Author John A. Cherrie (2009) from the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland has conducted a review into strategies for controlling occupational exposure to chemical carcinogens, discusses the substances that require priority action and the barriers that need to be overcome to ensure that exposure in the occupational setting is controlled.
The current European legislation concerning the protection of workers from exposure to occupational carcinogens and mutagens is the European Union Carcinogens Directive [2004/37/EC]. This legislation is implemented via national regulations in individual European countries, for example, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations in Great Britain. The European Commission and other agencies such as the British Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Working Group on Action to Control Chemicals (WATCH) also publish lists of carcinogens that are priority chemicals.
Cherrie suggests that “perhaps the most logical way to choose occupational carcinogens for priority intervention….should be based on the projected future burden from current and future exposure to carcinogens”. This approach is not yet currently adopted although Cherrie cites research led by Rushton and co-workers that lists the top 10 chemicals or exposure circumstances that contribute to the cancer burden in Great Britain. The researchers are currently working on methodology to estimate future burden.
Asbestos is number one on that list with exposure to diesel engine exhaust particulate as third. Cherrie uses the latter as an example to describe how best to implement effective controls to reduce worker exposure.
REFERENCE
Cherrie, J.W (2009) Reducing occupational exposure to chemical carcinogens. Occupational Medicine 59, 96-100.