title: European Code against Cancer 4th Edition: Environment, occupation and cancer.
abstract: People are exposed throughout life to a wide range of environmental and occupational pollutants from different sources at home, in the workplace or in the general environment - exposures that normally cannot be directly controlled by the individual. Several chemicals, metals, dusts, fibres, and occupations have been established to be causally associated with an increased risk of specific cancers, such as cancers of the lung, skin and urinary bladder, and mesothelioma. Significant amounts of air pollutants - mainly from road transport and industry - continue to be emitted in the European Union (EU); an increased occurrence of lung cancer has been attributed to air pollution even in areas below the EU limits for daily air pollution. Additionally, a wide range of pesticides as well as industrial and household chemicals may lead to widespread human exposure, mainly through food and water. For most environmental pollutants, the most effective measures are regulations and community actions aimed at reducing and eliminating the exposures. Thus, it is imperative to raise awareness about environmental and occupational carcinogens in order to motivate individuals to be proactive in advocating protection and supporting initiatives aimed at reducing pollution. Regulations are not homogeneous across EU countries, and protective measures in the workplace are not used consistently by all workers all the time; compliance with regulations needs to be continuously monitored and enforced. Therefore, the recommendation on Environment and Occupation of the 4th edition of the European Code against Cancer, focusing on what individuals can do to reduce their cancer risk, reads: "In the workplace, protect yourself against cancer-causing substances by following health and safety instructions."
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Espina
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Straif
authors.affiliation: Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Danish Cancer Society, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology CREAL, 88 Dr Aiguader Road, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogevinas
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saracci
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 aA, 00250 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Harri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vainio
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France. Electronic address: secretariat-cancer-code-europe@iarc.fr.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schüz
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005062:European Union; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Air pollution; Cancer; Chemical; Environment; Europe; Primary prevention; Regulation; Safety; Workplace