A New York Supreme Court Appellate Division hearing in June 2013 upheld a New York Supreme Court ruling that found a series of scientific papers commissioned and used by US building products giant Georgia-Pacific (GP) in a bid to frustrate asbestos cancer compensation claims were potentially part of a “crime-fraud.”

Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. v. Georgia-Pacific LLC, No. 9535, 2013 WL 2435565 (N.Y. App. Div., 1st Dep’t June 6, 2013). For a full list of the alleged crime-fraud papers, and details of the case, see: A very particular crime, Hazards 123, July-September 2013.

Occupational cancer is the subject of a June 2012 special supplement to the British Cancer Journal, and includes eleven informative papers. Methodological approaches are discussed along with specific cancers and study limitations. Cancer sites include mesothelioma, sinonasal, lung, nasopharynx, breast, non-melanoma skin, oesophagus, soft tissue, and stomach. Carcinogens include asbestos, mineral oils, solar radiation, silica, diesel engine exhaust, coal tars and pitches, dioxins, environmental tobacco smoke, tetrachloroethylene and strong inorganic mists, and shift work. Lesley Rushton’s morbidity and mortality figure prepared for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) feature prominently, although these have been criticised, notably by Hazards magazine, for missing out entire groups of carcinogens and under-estimating the impact of others. HSE in turn has faced criticism for its inaction on some of the major killers identified in the Rushton research, particularly shiftwork (linked to breast cancer), diesel exhaust fumes (lung, bladder and possibly other cancers) and respirable crystalline silica (lung cancer). Some industry bodies have by contrast claimed the estimates over-state the toll.

Occupational Cancer in Britain, British Journal of Cancer, volume 107, issue S1 (S1-S108), Guest editors Lesley Rushton and Gareth Evans, supplement published 19 June 2012. Related editorial by Kurt Straif. The Telegraph.

A paper looking at the impact of chemical control laws in Europe, including the REACH regulations, has concluded “that the prevention of environmental exposure that is or may be related to cancer should become an integral part of cancer policies and cancer control programmes.” The paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health notes: “With the precautionary principle and that of physical–chemical hygiene in mind, the European regulations discussed in this article prove to be important steps towards a healthier living environment.”

Cathy Rigolle and others. How effective is the European legislation regarding cancer-related chemical agents? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, volume 67, number 7, pages 539-541, 2013. Risks 609.

A US study looking at the impact of a Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) in Massachusetts found that reported use of known or suspected carcinogens by industries in the state declined 32 per cent from 1990 to 2010 while releases to the environment declined 93 per cent from 1991 to 2010. Michael Ellenbecker, director of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) created alongside the act to work with businesses to reduce chemical risks, said: “These significant reductions show that when companies are required to examine their use of a toxic chemical, many find ways to use it more efficiently, while many others find options for replacing it with a safer substitute chemical or process.” Use of chemicals associated with lung cancer, the biggest occupational cancer killer, decreased 29 per cent while releases to the environment decreased 77 per cent.

TURI news release and executive summary and full report, Opportunities for Cancer Prevention: Trends in the Use and Release of Carcinogens in Massachusetts, TURI, June 2013. Risks 609.

ChemHAT, the Chemical Hazard and Alternatives Toolbox, is an internet database developed by the US union IUE-CWA and the Blue Green Alliance. The organisations say: “Instead of what engineering controls and personal protective equipment do I need to lower the levels of exposure to a ‘safe’ level, ChemHAT is being designed to answer the question, ‘Is there a way to get this job done without using dangerous chemicals?’”

ChemHAT, Risks 608.

The authors, exploring “new” hazards in Taiwan’s developing economy, looked at 4,962 shipbreaking workers over a 24 year period and found standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) for lung cancer almost twice the expected rate (1 .91). The report notes: “Those employed in shipbreaking industries experienced an increase in mortality from all causes. The increased SMR for lung cancer was probably related to asbestos, metals, and welding fume exposure.”

Wei-te Wu, Yao-Hua Lu, Yu-Jen Lin and others. Mortality among shipbreaking workers in Taiwan: A retrospective cohort study from 1985 to 2008, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 56.6, 701-708, June 2013.

A TUC ‘Time to Change’ health and safety campaign bulletin deals with preventing exposure to carcinogens at work. The new bulletin provides an overview of the situation, including information on what the law says about exposure to substances that can cause cancer.

TUC publication alert and Time to Change bulletin, Carcinogens – stopping exposure. International trade union workplace cancer prevention campaign. Risks 606.

Outraged civil society groups attending the Rotterdam Convention conference in Geneva in May 2013 have said the convention was hijacked by industry interests. For the fourth time, a handful of countries allied to the asbestos industry refused to allow chrysotile asbestos to be added to the Convention’s list of hazardous substances that require exporters to obtain ‘prior informed consent’ from the importer. Listing of the pesticide paraquat was also blocked.

RightOnCanada news release. IBAS news report. Joint news release by the Berne Declaration, PAN, IPEN and IUF. Risks 605.

Despite the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) accepting that shiftwork is a cause of 550 breast cancer deaths in women each year and many more cases, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has other ideas. Its May 2013 position paper notes:  “Although a causal association is not firmly established, collectively, the evidence suggests the possibility of a moderately elevated risk of breast cancer associated with prolonged (more than 20 years) night work.  After considering the evidence, the council concluded that there remains insufficient evidence to recommend any changes to the list of prescribed diseases for which people can claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.”  A 2012 HSE report concluded that in Great Britain there are around 550 deaths each year from breast cancer in women who undertake shift work, and nearly 2,000 new cases registered. Health Survey for England data published in December 2014 and compiled by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, showed 33 per cent of men and 22 per cent of women of working age were doing shift work. They defined shifts as employment outside 0700-1900.

Shift working and breast cancer, IIAC position paper 30, 16 May 2013.

The authors suggest there is a real public health problem with pesticides linked to prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, leukaemia, multiple myeloma, and breast cancer. The report notes: “Although the review is not exhaustive in its scope or depth, the literature does strongly suggest that the public health problem is real. If we are to avoid the introduction of harmful chemicals into the environment in the future, the integrated efforts of molecular biology, pesticide toxicology, and epidemiology are needed to help identify the human carcinogens and thereby improve our understanding of human carcinogenicity and reduce cancer risk.”

Michael Alavanja, Matthew Ross, and Matthew Bonner. Increased cancer burden among pesticide applicators and others due to pesticide exposure. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, volume 63.2, pages 120-142, March-April 2013.