The global burden of disease due to occupational carcinogens.
BACKGROUND
The worldwide mortality and morbidity from lung cancer, leukemia, and malignant mesothelioma arising from occupational exposures to carcinogens are described. Cases reported in the year 2000 that resulted from relevant past and current exposures are assessed.


METHODS
The proportions of workers exposed to the carcinogens of interest, and their levels of exposure, were estimated using workforce data and the CAREX (CARcinogen EXposure) database. These were combined with relative risk measures (for lung cancer and leukemia) or absolute risk measures (for malignant mesothelioma) to develop estimates of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and attributable fraction (for lung cancer and leukemia).


RESULTS
There were an estimated 152,000 deaths (lung cancer: 102,000; leukemia: 7,000; and malignant mesothelioma: 43,000) and nearly 1.6 million DALYS (lung cancer: 969,000; leukemia: 101,000; and malignant mesothelioma: 564,000) due to exposure to occupational carcinogens.


CONCLUSIONS
Occupational carcinogens are an important cause of death and disability worldwide.
Driscoll
Timothy
T
ELMATOM Pty Ltd., Sydney, Australia. timd@health.usyd.edu.au
Nelson
Deborah Imel
DI
Steenland
Kyle
K
Leigh
James
J
Concha-Barrientos
Marisol
M
Fingerhut
Marilyn
M
Prüss-Ustün
Annette
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002273:Carcinogens; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors
D002273:Carcinogens