The occupational cancer burden in the UK has been consistently under-estimated and is concentrated almost entirely in certain social classes, a new study shows. The findings were presented at the Society of Occupational Medicine’s 2010 meeting. “There is a social inequality in occupational cancer risk, which is concentrated in manual workers and lower employment grades. This means that many of the industries with workers at risk don’t have access to good occupational health advice so proper risk assessments are not undertaken,” said Dr Olivia Carlton, president of the Society of Occupational Medicine “The missed opportunity is that we know many of the culprits and how to control them.”

Lesley Rushton and others. Occupation and cancer in Britain, British Journal of Cancer, volume 102, pages 1428–1437, 2010 [abstract]. Related HSE report: The burden of occupational cancer in Great Britain, research report 800, HSE, 2010 [pdf]. Risks 460.