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Cancer Sites Associated with Occupational Exposures

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Is exposure to a specific carcinogen associated with a certain type of cancer?

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In many cases, certain types of cancer are associated with specific carcinogens. The table below lists some of these associations.

Please note: This list was complied from information available from reputable sources, but it is not complete. It represents associations that have been reported in literature between certain types of cancer and specific carcinogen exposures.

Exposure to a carcinogen does not necessarily mean that you will develop cancer. The OSH Answers on Occupational Cancer has more information.

Some Cancer Sites Associated with Occupational or Environmental Carcinogen Exposures
Cancer SiteExamples of High-risk Substances or cancer-causing agentsExamples of High-risk Processes, Industries and Occupations with Increased Risks
Bladder (urinary)Aromatic amines (e.g., Aniline, 4,4'-Methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA), para-Chloroaniline, 2,6-Dimethylaniline (2,6-Xylidine), ortho-Toluidine); Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds; Benzidine and benzidine-based dyes; Benzo[a]pyrene; Coal tars & pitches; Diesel engine exhaust; Mineral oils; Nitrobenzene; Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); Polychlorinated biphenyls; Tetrachloroethylene

Barbers; Beverage workers; Cable makers; Calendar operatives; Chemical or petroleum workers; Chimney sweeps; Cooks; Coke production; Dry cleaners; Firefighters; Gas-retort house workers; Hairdressers; Machinists; Miners; Nurses; Painters; Pipefitters; Plumbers; Sheet metal workers; Waiters and waitresses; Working with tobacco

Coal gasification; Dry cleaning, Dyestuffs industry; Manufacturing of: aluminum, magenta, auramine, p-chloro-o-toluidine, pigment chromate, textiles, and dyes;  Petroleum refineries; Printing processes; Rubber and plastic production; Shoe and boot manufacturing and repair;  Synthetic latex production; Textile manufacturing; Tire curing

Bone and connective tissue (a rare cancer site)Ionizing radiation

Accelerator sector: Chemical and Radiation Control, Construction, Electrical and mechanical maintenance; Scientists, etc.

Industry sector: Aircrew, Dial painter, Fuel processor, Ground transportation, Industrial radiographer, Instrument technician, Scientist, engineer, etc.

Medical sector: Chiropractor;  Dentist, Dental hygienist. Dental assistant, Dental nurse;  Gynecologist, Medical Laboratory technician, Medical physicist, Nuclear medicine technologist, Nurse, Radiation therapist, Radiological technologist, Veterinarian, etc.

Mining sector: Uranium mine electricians, mill workers, office staff, support workers, surface maintenance, etc.

Nuclear sector reactor: chemical and radiation control, electrical maintenance, fuel handling, health physics, industrial radiographer, mechanical maintenance, scientists, etc.

Radiopharmaceutical industry

Bone and connective tissue (a rare cancer site)

Lubricants

Petroleum refineries

Brain and Central Nervous System (CNS)Ionizing radiation

Accelerator sector: Chemical and Radiation Control, Construction, Electrical  and mechanical maintenance; Scientists, etc.

General industry sector: Aircrew, Dial painter, Fuel processor, Ground transportation, Industrial radiographer, Instrument technician, Scientist, Engineer, etc.

Medical sector: Chiropractor, Dentist, Dental hygienist. Dental assistant, Dental nurse,  Gynecologist, Medical Laboratory technician, Medical physicist, Nuclear medicine technologist, Nurse, Radiation therapist, Radiological technologist, Veterinarian, etc.

Mining sector: Uranium mine electricians, mill workers, office staff, support workers, surface maintenance, etc.

Nuclear sector reactor: chemical and radiation control, electrical maintenance, fuel handling, health physics, industrial radiographer, mechanical maintenance, scientists, etc.

Radiopharmaceutical industry

Brain and Central Nervous System (CNS)

Lubricating oil

Epichlorohydrin

Non-arsenical insecticides

Petroleum refineries – maintenance workers, boiler makers, operators, pipe fitters

Chemical plants, laboratory workers, researchers

BreastEthylene oxide; Ionizing radiation; Polychlorinated biphenylsShiftwork that involves circadian disruption
Colon and rectumAsbestos; Ionizing radiation; Soot

Automobile repair workers

Beverage production industry (brewery workers)

Steel and metal workers

Repair and installation of machinery labourers

Petrol stations

Possibly: communication and other utilities, trade, educational services and mining 

EsophagusIonizing radiationDry cleaning; Rubber production industry
Eye

Possibly Solar radiation, UV radiation from manmade sources such as sunlamps, sun beds, tanning booths, and electrical arc welding. 

Engine operators; dentists; farmers; mechanics; military personnel; physicians; transport workers; welders

KidneyArsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds; Cadmium and cadmium compounds; Perfluorooctanoic acid; TrichloroethylenePrinting processes
LarynxAcid mists, strong inorganic; AsbestosInsulation material production (pipes, sheeting, textiles, clothes, masks, asbestos cement products); Insulators and pipe coverers; Isopropanol manufacture (strong-acid process); Rubber production industry; Shipyard and dockyard workers
Leukemia and/or lymphomaBenzene; 1,3-Butadiene; Diazinon; Formaldehyde; Ethylene oxide; Lindane; Ionizing radiation; Malathion; Methylene chloride; Styrene; TrichloroethyleneBoot and shoe manufacturing and repair; Firefighters; Painting; Petroleum refining; Rubber industry
Liver and bile ductArsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds; 1,2-Dichloropropane, Methylene chloride; Ionizing radiation; Occupational infections with hepatitis B and C; Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Trichloroethylene

Beverage workers; Cooks; Building caretakers and cleaners; Electricians; Health care workers; Journalists; Pest control workers; Smelter and metal foundry workers; Seamen; Tobacco manufacture workers; Waitresses and waiters; Wood workers

Smelting of ores containing arsenic; 

Vinyl chloride production; 

Wood preservation

LungArsenic and arsenic compounds; Asbestos; Benzo[a]pyrene; Beryllium; 1,3-Butadiene; Cadmium & cadmium compounds; Chromium (hexavalent) compounds; Coal tars & pitches; Diesel engine exhaust; Epichlorohydrin; Fibrous silicon carbide; Ionizing radiation; Lead; Mineral oils (untreated and mildly treated); Nickel and nickel compounds; Pesticides; Radon; Silica (crystalline); Solar radiation; Soots; Strong inorganic acid mists containing sulfuric acid; Talc containing asbestiform fibers; 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD); Tobacco smoke - Involuntary (passive) smoking; Welding fumes

Agriculture workers (e.g., vineyard workers)

Asphalt workers;

Building maintenance workers

Construction workers (residential, industrial, commercial, road)

Electricians

Mechanics

Metal workers

Oil and gas workers

Painters

Pest control workers

Plumbers

Pulp and paper mill
and wood products
manufacturing workers

Roofers

Welders

Aluminum production; Coal gasification; Copper smelting; Hematite mining (underground) with radon exposure; Iron and steel founding; Isopropanol manufacture (strong acid process); Printing processes; Rubber production; Uranium mining; 

MesotheliomaAsbestos; Talc containing asbestiform fibres

Blasters; Boilermakers; Bricklayers; Building maintenance workers; Construction workers; Drillers; Electricians; Insulation workers; Machinists; 

Mechanics; Metalworkers; Miners; Pipefitters; Plumbers; Pulp and paper mill and wood products; Manufacturing workers; Roofers, Seamen; Sheet metal workers; Shipbuilding workers; Smelters; Thermoelectric power plant workers; Welders

Manufacturers of cement; Manufacturers of textiles; Oil refining; Petroleum industry; Cigarette and filter manufacturing; Railroad industry

Nasal cavities and paranasal sinusesChromium (hexavalent) compounds; Formaldehyde; Selected nickel compounds including combinations of nickel oxides and sulfides in the nickel refining industry; Wood dustBoot and shoe manufacturing and repair; Carpenters; Construction workers; Furniture and cabinet making; Isopropanol manufacture (strong acid process); Miners; Plumbers; Pulp and paper mill workers; Textile workers; Welders; Wood workers
NasopharynxFormaldehyde; Wood dust

Artistic workers; Beverage manufacturer workers; Cooks; Chimney sweeps; Embalmers;  Furniture and cabinet makers; Healthcare workers and medical personnel; Laboratory workers; Pulp and paper mill and wood products manufacturing workers; Seamen

Formaldehyde production; Plywood production / particle-board production

OvaryAsbestos; Ionizing radiation; Leather dust; Man-made vitreous fibres; Diesel, gasoline and engine exhausts; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); Talc; Hair dyesAccountants; Hairdressers, barbers, beauticians; Occupations in retail trade; Postal workers; Printers; Sewers and embroiders; Teaching occupations
ProstateArsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds; Cadmium and cadmium compounds; Ionizing radiation; Malathion

Agriculture occupations; Dentists; Firefighting occupations; Shift work; Whole‐body vibrations

Rubber production industry

SkinArsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds; Coal tar distillation; Creosotes; Ionizing radiation; Mineral oils (untreated and mildly treated); Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene; Shale oils or shale-derived lubricants; Solar radiation; Soots

Construction workers
(residential, industrial, commercial); Dentist and dental workers; Outdoor workers (e.g., agricultural workers, road construction workers, physicians, roofers, vineyard workers); Pest control workers; Postal workers; Printers

Coal gasification; Coke production; Petroleum refining

StomachAsbestos; Lead compounds, inorganic; Airborne particles of cement and silica dust; Ionizing radiation

Chimney sweeps

Electrical workers

Fisherman

Insulators and pipe coverers;

Mechanics

Miners

Shipyard and dockyard workers

Asbestos mining; Insulation material production (pipes, sheeting, textiles, clothes, masks, asbestos cement products); Rubber production industry

Adapted from:

Current perspectives on occupational cancer risks. P. Bofetta, et al. International journal of occupational and environmental health, Vol. 1, no. 4 (1995). p. 315-325

Carex: Most Common Occupational Exposures to IARC Agents- Ontario/British Columbia, Canada 2001 Census Data - 09-Jan-08

Occupational Medicine Clinical Update - Occupational Carcinogens - What makes it on the list. Fall 2005 - Occupational Health Workers for Ontario Workers Inc. (OHCOW)

ILO SafeWork Papers - Safety in the Use of Chemicals. Chapter 2 - Health and Safety Problems Caused by Chemicals

Listing occupational carcinogens. J. Siemiatycki, et al. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 112, no. 15 (2004). p. 1447-1459

Perceptions of the causes of bladder cancer, nasal cancer, and mesothelioma among cases and population controls. K. Teschke and L. van Zwieten. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, Vol. 14, no. 12 (1999). p. 819-826

World Health Organization. Prevention of occupational cancer. The Global Occupational Health Network (GOHNET) Newsletter, Issue No. 11 (2006)

List of classifications by cancer sites with sufficient or limited evidence in humans, Volumes 1 to 114. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Last updated: 2022-09-07

Occupational Cancer Research Centre. Burden of Occupational Cancer in Canada: Major Workplace Carcinogens and Prevention of Exposure (2019)

Richardson, B, et al.  Risk of cancer from occupational exposure to ionising radiation: retrospective cohort study of workers in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States (INWORKS) (2015) British Mecial Journal 

Carex Canada. Ionizing Radiation Occupational Exposures. (no date). Site viewed on February 23, 2023.

IARC Monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans: Radiation. Volume 100 D. (2012) 

Sritharan, J. et al.  Prostate cancer surveillance by occupation and industry: the Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC).  Cancer Med. 2018 Apr; 7(4): 1468–1478

Nhu D Le, et al. Occupational exposure and ovarian cancer risk.  Cancer Causes Control. 2014 Jul;25(7):829-41

Government of Canada and Canadian Cancer Society.  Canadian Cancer Statistics 2021

WorkSafeBC. Occupational Cancer.  (no date). Site viewed on February 23, 2023.


  • Fact sheet last revised: 2023-03-21