Strategies of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) to reduce the occupational cancer burden

Abstract

The main mission of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) is to conduct research for cancer prevention worldwide. The strategies of the IARC to reduce the occupational cancer burden include enhancing cancer surveillance, evaluating and classifying potential human carcinogens, and conducting epidemiological research to fill gaps in knowledge on occupationally related cancers. Beyond the IARC work, it is essential to systematically monitor occupational exposures in workplaces, in order to effectively protect workers. There are multiple sources of information about occupational exposures in workplaces, but they are often not used for hazard surveillance or for research. The Russian Federation has great potential to advance research and worker protection due to their strong tradition to monitor and record exposure concentrations in workplaces. Currently most evidence regarding occupational cancer burden comes from Western Europe and North America. Estimation of the burden of occupational cancer requires accurate data from local settings as extrapolating data from other settings may be misleading due to major differences in exposures, exposure pathways and baseline cancer risks. To fill this knowledge gap, it is important to conduct exposure surveillance and epidemiological studies on occupational cancer in the Russian Federation.