N. V. Zlygosteva, V. I. Adrianovskiy, G. Y. Lipatov, Y. A. Kuz'mina, A. V. Bugayeva

Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers, Russia

Background

Workers, engaged in blister copper production, are exposed to occupational carcinogens that makes occupational cancer risk (OCR) assessing and early cancer detection more urgent.

Aims

Revealing the influence of carcinogenic factors of the working environment on the OCR and cancer mortality rate in workers of enterprises for blister copper production.

Methods

CR was estimated from each of the substances and in total from the combination for 25-years work experience, using the concentrations averaged over 8-h workshift as well as slope factors for inhalation exposure of arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel and benz(a)pyrene. A retrospective epidemiological study of cancer mortality among workers and the age and sex standartized control population for 20 years was carried out.

Results

It is shown that inorganic arsenic compounds are the main factor that forms OCR (67.8-96.2%). The predicted values of OCR are in an unacceptable range (≥1.0×10-3) for 83.1% studied workplaces, even if the the carcinogenic chemical factors are of permissible level. The highest OCR is observed in occupations with a significant dust release. The observed cancer mortality rates significantly exceed the "expected" rates for all-mixed tumour sites, and respiratory cancers.

Conclusions

The proposed system approach to the assessment and management of cancer hazards will allow to establish acceptable risk levels in the lengths of the range with the definition of priority factors, will provide an opportunity to justify the need for additional studies on predictors of professional oncogenesis in the framework of preventive medical examinations and develop preventive measures aimed at key risk factors.