FACTS
- Cancer is the leading cause of death in developed countries and the second leading cause of death in developing countries.
- A person’s risk of developing a particular cancer is influenced by a combination of factors that interact in ways that are not fully understood. Some of the factors include:
- Personal characteristics such as age, sex, and race
- Family history of cancer
- Diet and personal habits such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption
- The presence of certain medical conditions or past medical treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or some immune-system suppressing drugs.
- Exposure to cancer-causing agents in the environment (for example, sunlight, radon gas, air pollution, and infectious agents)
- Exposure to cancer-causing agents in the workplace
STATS
- In 2012 there were between 45,872 and 91,745 new cancer cases that were caused by past exposure in the workplace.
- Lung cancer accounted for 54–75% of occupational cancer. Lung cancer is by far the most prevalent occupational cancer.
- 3% to 6% of all cancers worldwide are caused by exposure to carcinogens in the workplace.
- One person dies every 43 seconds from work-related cancer according to (IARE).
- According to the ILO figures, the biggest killer in the workplace is cancer, causing roughly 640,000 (32 percent) of deaths, followed by circulatory diseases (23 percent), accidents (19 percent) and communicable diseases (17). Asbestos alone, the report says, takes some 100,000 lives annually.
- Across the world, an estimated 742,000 people die annually from cancer which is linked to work activities – nearly double the number of deaths in workplace accidents
- 7 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year with the number to increase due to the growth and aging of the population, as well as the reductions in childhood mortality and deaths from infectious diseases in developing countries.