Occupational cancer kills more than 200 000 people a year

Kaushal Raj Pandey authored the following article. It is an overview but informative. It is important to be aware of one’s surroundings at work. Pandrey writes:

“More than 200 000 people, most of them in the developed world, die each year from a workplace related cancer, the World Health Organization has said in a press release.

A major rise in the incidence of occupational cancer can be expected in developing countries in the coming decades as work processes involving the use of carcinogens shift to countries with less stringent enforcement of occupational health standards, WHO warns. These processes involve substances such as chrysotile asbestos and pesticides and those used in production of tyres and dyes.

The developed world presently has a higher rate of occupational cancer, the result of the wide use 20 to 30 years ago of various carcinogenic substances such as blue asbestos, 2-naphthylamine, and benzene, it adds. These countries now have much tighter controls on the presence of these known carcinogens in the workplace.

Asbestos, second hand smoke, and benzene are the carcinogens that people are most commonly exposed to at work. Lung cancer, mesothelioma, bladder cancer, and leukaemia are the most common cancers resulting from occupational exposure to carcinogens, it says.

More than 125 million people around the world are exposed to asbestos at work, and at least 90 000 die each year from asbestos related diseases. A 10th of lung cancer deaths are closely related to risks in the workplace, and workers who are heavily exposed to second hand tobacco smoke at their workplaces are twice as likely as those working in a smoke free environment to develop lung cancer.

Thousands of people working in the chemical and diamond industries die from leukaemia caused by exposure to benzene, which is widely used by workers as an organic solvent in such industries.

WHO says that prevention of exposure to carcinogens in the workplace may be the most efficient way to prevent cancer. “The control of carcinogens in the workplace should be a key component of every national cancer control programme,” said Andreas Ullrich, WHO's medical officer for cancer control.

To protect workers from occupational cancer, WHO recommends stopping the use of asbestos; introducing benzene-free organic solvents and technologies that convert the carcinogenic form of chromium into a non-carcinogenic form; banning smoking in the workplace; and providing protective clothes for people who work in the sun. These simple interventions could prevent hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths and suffering from occupational cancer, it adds.

Recently WHO issued an official statement warning countries to stop using asbestos or face an epidemic of cancer in the coming years. It suggested using pine fibres in producing cement building materials as a safe alternative to asbestos.”

If you or a loved one has or had bladder cancer, they should give out office a call. There may be a strong workplace connection. At the SCHMIDT-SALITA LAW TEAM WE DISCUSS YOUR EMPLOYMENT AND HEALTH HISTORY AND HAVE REPRESENTED NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN ALL EXPOSURE CASES. WE PURSUE CLAIMS AND LAWSUITS AGAINST THOSE EMPLOYERS, MANUFACTURERS AND THIRD PARTIES FOR MEDICAL CARE, LOST EARNINGS, THE VICTIM’S PAIN AND SUFFERING, OR THE SURVIVORS’ LOSSES. PLEASE CONTACT US AT

Phone: 952-473-4530

Toll Free: 1-800-656-8450

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Email: info@mnlawteam.com

The prevalence of Asbestos Disease such as Mesothelioma and Cancer in northeast Minnesota continues to rise, according to a University of Minnesota study examining the nearby taconite mining industry.

The study through the State of Minnesota the mines in the “Iron Range” area of Minnesota focused on the estimated 46,000 people born after 1920 who worked in the industry. Results showed confirmed cases of mesothelioma, which normally affects 2,000 to 3,000 people a year in the United States. The study of mine workers on the Iron Range showed three times the number of mesothelioma cases than the rest of Minnesota's population. Asbestos fibers are linked to mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that has no cure.

The fibers become airborne or end up in the water during mining operations.

The Taconite Workers Health Study arose from the concept that the asbestos-like fibers in the dust from the ore processing was causing the mesothelioma and other lung diseases. Plant workers originally suspected the mesothelioma stemmed from the commercial asbestos, which was found on boilers, furnaces and pipes in the processing plants which also create problems.

At Schmidt-Salita Law Team we discuss your employment history and have significant records with known asbestos-containing materials and job sites such as the Iron Range. We have handled many cases on behalf of “rangers” and their families. We pursue claims and lawsuits against those employers, mining companies, manufacturers and third parties for medical care, lost earnings, the victim’s pain and suffering, or the survivors’ losses. Please contact us at

Phone: 952-473-4530

Toll Free: 1-800-656-8450

Fax: 952-544-1308

Email: info@mnlawteam.com