Alleged links between the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the asbestos industry have been condemned on the eve of a crucial UN conference. A report  in the medical journal The Lancet examines a series of recent decisions by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that have triggered a storm of protest from governments, non-governmental organisations, and health campaigners. The report prompted a 19 February 2013 response from the UN agencies, stating their opposition to continued asbestos use.

IARC in the dock over ties with asbestos industry, The Lancet, volume 381, issue 9864, pages 359-361, 2 February 2013. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60152-X. International Ban Asbestos Secretariat report. Risks 592.

A US government agency intended to assist small businesses is instead operating as an unquestioning promoter of a deadly business lobby wishlist. A report from the independent Center for Effective Government says the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy has been weighing in on issues including scientific assessments of the cancer risks of formaldehyde, styrene, and chromium, regurgitated chemical industry lobbyists talking points.

Center for Effective Government news release and report: Small businesses, public health, and scientific integrity: Whose interests does the Office of Advocacy at the Small Business Administration serve?  Risks 591.

The paper introduces Matline, a job-exposure matrix for the prevention of exposure to carcinogens (in Italian with an English version). The paper notes Matline “provides data as classification and toxicological properties of carcinogenic agents, and a list of industrial processes with potential exposure to each carcinogen agent, and an up-to-date estimation of the number of activities and workers related to the industrial process on Regional basis. It also lists the target organs for which a causal relationship with the agent has been established.” According to Watterson (2014): “The database is designed to identify what carcinogens may be used in a particular industrial process and draws on agents with standard EU hazard descriptors and is of value to public health researchers and policymakers.”

Umberto Falcone, Luisella Gilardi, Silvano Santoro, Manuela Orengia, Massimo Marighella, and Elena Coffano. MATiine: Una matrice lavorazione-esposizione per Je previsione delle esposizione a cancerogeni in ltalia: Nuove funzioni e potenziali utilizzi. Epidemiologia e prevenzione 37.1, pages 60-66, 2013.

A mining union has welcomed a decision by the Superior Court in Quebec, Canada, which has recognised the diesel exhaust-related lung cancer suffered by a mining worker as an occupational disease. “This is a very important decision, because it’s the first time that a causal link between lung cancer and diesel smoke exposure has been recognised,” said union representative Marc Thibodeau.

USW news release, 24 January 2013. Risks 597.

SUBSPORT, the Substitution Support Portal, is an online resource that provides information to aid a reduction in the use of harmful substances used at work, including a database of alternatives to hazardous chemicals. The rapidly developing database by the end of 2012 included more than 200 substitution case stories. The information is not just provided by companies; a number on substitution case histories have been submitted by trade unions and other organisations, such as the Swedish National Substitution Group – a network of practitioners at universities and hospitals that promote substitution.

ChemSec news report and information about sharing your case histories. SUBSPORT web portal. Risks 587.

The European Commission has moved a step closer to improving Europe’s law on cancer exposures at work. The European Advisory Committee for Safety and Health at Work (ACSH), the industry-government-union body advising the Commission on workplace safety issues, adopted an opinion on 5 December 2012 backing the inclusion of new occupational exposure limit values (OELV) to a revised version of the Carcinogens Directive, which if implemented would have to be introduced European Union-wide.

ETUI news report. Risks 586.

US-based Clean Production Action (CPA) has released a new ‘Guide to safer chemicals’, a practical tool setting benchmarks for how users of chemicals – purchasers, retailers and product manufacturers – can track their progress towards safer chemicals use. The guide builds on four key principles: Know and disclose product chemistry; assess and avoid hazards; commit to continuous improvement; and support public policies and industry standards.

CPA news release and report, Guide to safer chemicals. ChemSec news report. Risks 586.

A dramatic policy switch is required towards elimination of workplace exposures to a slew of chemicals now believed to cause breast cancer, a campaign group has said. The Alliance for Cancer Prevention call came after a Canadian study reported higher breast cancer rates in agriculture, plastics, food packaging, metal manufacture and the bar and gambling industries. Calling for action on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), Alliance co-ordinator Helen Lynn said: “The UK government and cancer establishment is complacent due to its inaction.”

Alliance for Cancer Prevention news release. Huffington Post.  UNISON news report. Risks 584.

Chemical companies worldwide are not doing enough to make their products and practices safer and more sustainable, an investment rating agency has concluded. Oekom Research’s evaluation of 101 chemical companies from 25 countries found the industry brings large numbers of new chemical compounds and products into the market every year, but only a small proportion have been comprehensively analysed to determine the risks associated with them.

Oekom press release and report, Oekom industry focus chemicals. ChemSec news report. Risks 583.

Working in a “toxic soup” of chemicals can double a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, a multiple award-winning scientific paper has concluded. High risk jobs included those in agriculture, plastics, food packaging, metal manufacture and the bar and gambling industry, according to the University of Stirling study. The research led to prevention initiatives and calls worldwide, including a campaign by the North American steelworkers’ union USW.

Brophy JT, Keith MM, Watterson A and others. Breast cancer risk in relation to occupations with exposure to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors: a Canadian case-control study, Environmental Health, 11:87, 19 November 2012. Stirling University news release. Center for Public Integrity article. BBC News Online. Huffington Post. Fox News. Daily Mail. Manufacturing Weekly. Risks 583.