Cancer Risk Assessment At The Workplace

The assessment of cancer risk is a complex process that requires the examination of etiological agents, real-world environments, and individual rates of exposure. This reference offers practical approaches to determine cancer risk in individuals, groups of exposed persons, and the general public in relation to individual genetic and acquired suscep

With a weight-of-the-evidence approach, cancer risk assessment indentifies hazards, determines dose-response relationships, and assesses exposure to characterize the true risk. This book focuses on the quantitative methods for conducting chemical cancer risk assessments for solvents, metals, mixtures, and nanoparticles. It links these to the basic toxicology and biology of cancer, along with the impacts on regulatory guidelines and standards. By providing insightful perspective, Cancer Risk Assessment helps researchers develop a discriminate eye when it comes to interpreting data accurately and separating relevant information from erroneous.

This is the first book to integrate all aspects of workplace risk assessment and management, now the overriding emphasis in occupational health. Topics include: basic concepts and developments; toxic hazards; hazard characteristics and identification; setting standards; requirements of monitoring workplace exposure; contaminants; exposure modeling; risk perception and management; prevention and control; economics; emergency response; health surveillance; auditing; compliance; pesticides, chemicals, carcinogens, biological agents, and radiation; equipment screening; manual handling; stress; and workplace violence.

The identification of occupational cancer risk factors and of carcinogens in the workplace is assuming increasing import ance in cancer epidemiology. This book, which contains the proceedings of a symposium held in Vancouver in June 1988, combines overviews by experts on substantive topics and methodologic issues of broad interest in occupational cancer epidemiology. Among the former are state of the art reviews emphasizing recent data and new and innovative analytic approaches. The substantive topics include discussion of cancer risks from exposure to complex organic mixtures, asbestos and man-made fibers, herbicides, radon, and electromagnetic fields. Risk assessment, exposure assessment, and analysis of occupa tional cohort studies are examples of the methodologic issues addressed. This book provides basic information and opens perspectives on new areas of research. In organizing our symposium we were greatly assisted by Betty Fata and Kim Rust of Venue West Conference Ltd. We appreciate the financial support received from the following: Cancer Control Agency of British Columbia Alcan Aluminium Ltd. National Health Research & Development Program Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia Purdue Frederick Inc. Rhone-Poulenc Pharma Inc. London Drugs Ltd. Ciba-Geigy Canada Ltd. Bristol-Myers Pharmaceutical Group Schering Canada Inc. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Sterling Drug Ltd. Parke-Davis Canada Inc. Beecham Laboratories Pfizer Canada Inc. Roussel Canada Inc.

Risk assessment has become a dominant public policy tool for making choices, based on limited resources, to protect public health and the environment. It has been instrumental to the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as other federal agencies in evaluating public health concerns, informing regulatory and technological decisions, prioritizing research needs and funding, and in developing approaches for cost-benefit analysis. However, risk assessment is at a crossroads. Despite advances in the field, risk assessment faces a number of significant challenges including lengthy delays in making complex decisions; lack of data leading to significant uncertainty in risk assessments; and many chemicals in the marketplace that have not been evaluated and emerging agents requiring assessment. Science and Decisions makes practical scientific and technical recommendations to address these challenges. This book is a complement to the widely used 1983 National Academies book, Risk Assessment in the Federal Government (also known as the Red Book). The earlier book established a framework for the concepts and conduct of risk assessment that has been adopted by numerous expert committees, regulatory agencies, and public health institutions. The new book embeds these concepts within a broader framework for risk-based decision-making. Together, these are essential references for those working in the regulatory and public health fields.