Work-related cancer


A new European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) report says work-related cancer is costing EU states between €270 billion and €610 billion a year (£238 billion and £537 billion).


The estimates include direct costs for member states’ health systems related to medical treatment and indirect costs for workers and employers due to lost working days. There are also human costs in terms of the impact on the quality of life of workers and their families.


Consultants Risk & Policy Analysts examined the exposure of workers to 25 carcinogens (cancer-causing substances or working situations) including asbestos, benzene, silica, night work and shift work, and diesel engine emissions. They calculated the costs based on various projections of the percentage of all cancer cases attributable to work.


“With more than 100,000 deaths per year, occupational cancers are the leading cause of death in the EU,” said ETUI chemical risks expert Tony Musu. 


He added: “It is the workers and their families who shoulder the largest share of the costs. This unjust situation is socially and economically unacceptable, and the EU must take action to put an end to these preventable cancers.”


www.etui.org/News/Occupational-cancers-in-the-European-Union-cost-270-610-billion-each-year