The significance of work-related cancers in the EU

The Dutch institute for public health and the environment (RIVM) publishes a report on the amplitude of work-related cancers in the European Union – number of cases and costs entailed – and on the planned solutions for better prevention.

The RIVM estimates that each year in the EU:

• between 91,500 and 150,500 new cases of cancer due to past exposure to carcinogenic substances in the workplace are diagnosed;
• about 79,700 people die of a work-related cancer. 

75% of new cases are cancers of the lungs, the prostate, the colon and the bladder. Lung cancer tops the list of fatal cases, followed by mesothelioma and cancer of the colon. According to the Dutch institute, in all around 1.2 million years of life have been lost in the EU population because of premature death due to exposure to carcinogenic substances in the workplace. The total annual cost of the economic and social impact of occupational cancer due to carcinogenic substances is estimated at €334 billion.

To find out more

Download the report