Call To Action Over Exposure To Cancer-causing Agents At Work

Experts say the results of the New Zealand Carcinogens Survey (NZCS) revealing the extent to which New Zealanders experience cancer-causing substances highlight the need for urgent action to reduce exposure and improve care.

The survey has found that more than half of workers in New Zealand are potentially exposed to at least one cancer-causing agent at work at any level and almost a third are exposed at high levels above what is considered safe.

The survey was commissioned by WorkSafe NZ in 2021 and released this year. Dr Amanda Eng from the Research Centre for Hauora & Health at Massey University got together with other experts to look at the results and their implications in the Public Health Communication Centre Briefing - Carcinogen exposure in Aotearoa workplaces is unacceptably high.

Dr Eng says the data on exposure to work-related carcinogens has been lacking until now and is critical to inform efforts to reduce these exposures and make workplaces safer. “The NZCS provides evidence that exposure to carcinogens is unacceptably high. While there is some level of uncertainty about whether the sample truly represents the working population of Aotearoa, the findings suggest preventative measures should start with the most common carcinogens and the identified high-risk industries and occupations.”

“For example, although efforts to reduce exposure to respirable crystalline silica have rightly been focused on the engineered stone-benchtop industry, the survey suggests nearly half of the construction industry are exposed to RCS. The data will help inform efforts to develop targeted interventions to reduce exposure” says Dr Eng.

The Briefing authors say immediate action is required to reduce workplace carcinogen exposures that we know are problematic. But they say New Zealand has a track record of being slow to action when dangers of substances or products are uncovered. They point we were the last country in the world to halt the production of the toxic dioxin-contaminated phenoxy herbicide, 2,4,5-T in 1987 and the importation of asbestos-containing products was banned only in 2016.

“This is why it is important that the NZCS findings should form part of a wider push for more comprehensive collection of occupational-exposure data for the working population of NZ. We need an integrated surveillance system which also includes work-related health outcomes. And these recommendations aren’t new. They have fallen on deaf ears for decades,” says Dr Eng.

She says the time is over for burying our heads in the sand because we cannot immediately see the damaging impact of work-related carcinogens and other risks. “We strongly recommend that appropriate moves are made towards setting up an Aotearoa Occupational Health Service, with a focus on improving access to screening and healthcare for those at high risk of exposure.”

NZCS reinforces findings from previous studies that occupational exposures are not distributed equally across men and women and Māori and non-Māori. “It is increasingly clear that high-exposure work is more commonly done by Māori. Kia manawaroa (a call to action) is key to improving prevention and protection starting now and, as an immediate step, we suggest that Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority) is brought into the conversation about Māori-led solutions to reducing risk,” says Dr Eng.

Other findings from the NZCS
The top 10 most common cancer-causing exposures across all industries are benzene (30%), solar UV (27%), ocular UV (exposure to the eyes;26%), diesel engine exhaust (24%), environmental tobacco smoke (15%), styrene (12%), crystalline silica (10%), shiftwork (9%), wood dust (8%), and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (8%). The industries with the highest prevalence of exposure to at least one carcinogen were ‘Mining’, ‘Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services’, ‘Construction’, ‘Transport, Postal and Warehousing’, and ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’; workers in the last industry group were exposed to the highest average number of carcinogens at any level. The occupations exposed to the highest average number of carcinogens were construction workers, farmers, and emergency workers.

For comment: Dr Amanda Eng on 021 121 6222. Any other queries: PHCC Communications Lead – Adele Broadbent 027 576 4644

The Public Health Communication Centre (PHCC) is an independently funded organisation dedicated to increasing the reach and impact of public health research in Aotearoa New Zealand. We work with researchers, journalists, and policymakers to ensure evidence is clearly communicated and accessible. We regularly publish public health expert commentary and analysis from across Aotearoa in The Briefing.

PHCC is hosted by the Department of Public Health at University of Otago, Wellington.

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