Workplace Cancer Risks

Though your workers might associate cancer worries with the food they eat or the air they breathe, the truth is that there are cancer risks in the workplace, including:

1. UV exposure for outdoor workers
2. Secondhand smoke exposure
3. Carcinogenic chemical exposure

1. No Skin Off Your Back?

If you have outdoor workers, advise them that if they notice the following changes to their skin, report to their supervisor immediately:

• Any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth
• Scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• Dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark

They should also see a dermatologist, because these symptoms may indicate skin cancer. Review your workplace’s precautions and protection procedures with your outdoor workers.

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2. Great American Smokeout

On the third Thursday of this month (November 17), the American Cancer Society (ACS – www.cancer.org) will observe its annual day of encouragement and empowerment for smokers to quit. Remind your workers of these statistics that ACS has gathered on how stopping smoking can increase life expectancy.

• Smokers who quit at the age of 35 gain an average of 8 years of life expectancy;
• Quitting at the age of 55 gains about 5 years; and
• Quitting at the age of 65 gains 3 years.

The ACS Great Americans website includes many helpful tips, programs, and calculators to help smokers quit. This is the year, and this is the day. Encourage your workers to do it!

3. Chemical Carcinogens

Millions of U.S. workers are exposed to chemical materials that could be carcinogenic. If any of your workers are in this group, train them to take these steps to protect themselves from carcinogen exposure:

• Enter regulated areas only if you’re assigned and authorized.
• Wear assigned, undamaged personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Inspect PPE before use to be sure it’s undamaged and fits properly.
• For standard operations in a regulated area, wear:
  —Coverall, smock, long-sleeved shirt and pants, or other full-body protection
  —Gloves
  —Shoe covers
  —Half-face, filter-type respirator.
• For tasks with risk of direct carcinogen contact, wear:
  —Impervious clothing, gloves, and boots, and
  —A continuous-air supplied hood.
• Don’t keep or use food, beverages, cosmetics, smoking products, or chewing gum in regulated areas.
• Remove PPE properly when you leave a regulated area.
• Leave used PPE in area assigned for decontamination and/or disposal.
• Wash hands, forearms, face, and neck before leaving the area.
• Shower at the end of the shift or immediately after direct exposure.
• Put on street clothes in the clean change room. Do not take contaminated clothing, PPE, or materials home.
• Follow decontamination procedures for materials and equipment.

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Why It Matters

• Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, accounts for about 60,000 cases of skin cancer annually and about 8,000 deaths. But even for melanoma, if it is diagnosed early, the 5-year localized survival rate is 99 percent.
• According to the American Cancer Society, around 46 million U.S. adults smoke, and about half will die prematurely from smoking. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both genders, and over 80% of lung cancers may result from smoking. Smoking causes nearly one in five deaths from all causes.
• The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that about 20,000 cancer deaths and 40,000 new cases of work-related cancer occur each year in the United States.

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