A significant portion of health and social care workers in six European countries were probably exposed to at least one occupational carcinogen in the previous working week, according to a survey by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), analyzed by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). The findings are based on the Workers’ Exposure Survey (WES).
Key Findings
- Overall Exposure Rate: 29.5% of health and social care (HeSCare) workers were probably exposed to at least one occupational cancer risk factor in the week prior to being surveyed. 7.8% were exposed to two or more risk factors.
- Study Scope: The survey included 24,402 telephone interviews conducted between 2022 and 2023 with workers in Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, and Spain. Of these respondents, 3,041 (12.5%) worked in the HeSCare sector.
- Workforce Composition: Within the HeSCare sector, healthcare workers constituted 81.5% of the respondents, followed by workers in residential care and social work. This sector represents approximately 11% of the total European Union workforce.
Main Risk Factors
The most common probable exposures to cancer risk factors during the previous working week were:
- Ionizing radiation: 7.4% of workers
- Diesel engine exhaust: 6.2% of workers
- Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation: 6.1% of workers
- Formaldehyde: 5.2% of workers (with high-intensity exposures estimated at 2.3%)
- Benzene: 4.8% of workers
- Ethylene oxide: High-intensity exposures estimated at 2.0% of workers
Specific tasks associated with these exposures included equipment sterilization, vehicle operation, outdoor work, medical radiation use, and laboratory work. Combined exposures, such as diesel emissions with solar radiation and formaldehyde with ethylene oxide, were also documented.
Variations by Sub-Sector and Gender
- Sub-Sector Differences: Exposure prevalence varied by sub-sector. In healthcare, key exposures were ionizing radiation, formaldehyde, and diesel exhaust. In residential care, the most common exposures were solar UV (14.7%) and diesel exhaust (9.1%). In social work, primary exposures included solar UV (19.5%), benzene (19.3%), and diesel exhaust (18.0%).
- Gender Differences: Men had a higher exposure prevalence (35.7%) compared to women (26.1%).
Protective Measures
According to the survey, protective measures were commonly used for ionizing radiation and chemical exposures. However, gaps were identified in the use of protection against solar UV radiation, such as sunscreen and sunglasses.
Study Limitations
The researchers noted several limitations of the survey. Exposure estimates were based on tasks performed in the previous week, not on long-term occupational histories. Data collection occurred mainly in autumn and winter, which may affect the reporting of seasonal exposures like solar UV radiation. Additionally, the survey did not include all potential occupational carcinogens, such as some hazardous medicinal products.