According to the European Commission’s statement in 2020, approximately 120,000 new cancer cases were reported each year in the European Union because of exposure to carcinogens at work, resulting in the deaths of about 80,000 people annually.

 

According to EU-OSHA, cancer is the leading cause of work-related deaths in the EU: 52% of work-related deaths each year are currently due to work-related cancers, compared to 24% for circulatory diseases, 22% for other diseases and 2% for injuries.

 

The European Parliament and the Council adopted the ongoing revision exercise of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive in December 2017, January 2019 and June 2019. These three revisions have introduced binding occupational exposure limit values for 26 substances, with the aim of minimising exposure to carcinogenic chemicals.

 

The aim of this conference is to raise awareness on the prevention of risks resulting from exposure to carcinogenic substances in the workplace in VSEs and SMEs and to allow for an exchange of good practice between experts and social partners.