![]() A recent WHO/ILO project presented a Special Issue of a series of 15 systematic reviews, developed to support the estimation of global exposure to occupational risk factors and the attributable burden of disease. In Europe, the number of work-related cancers has been estimated to be about 120,000 cases and around 80,000 deaths (around 53% of all work-related deaths) per year. The Global Burden of Disease study estimated 349,000 cancer deaths in 2016 attributable to occupational carcinogens (3.9% of all cancer deaths 79% in males) worldwide. Occupational cancer has increased considerably in recent decades, mainly due to aging and changes in the proportion of workers exposed. Circulatory diseases (31%), malignant neoplasms (26%) and respiratory diseases (17%) are the three major illnesses, and together they represent around 75% of total work-related mortality. Recent estimates reveal that around 2.4 million workers die from work-related accidents and diseases every year. The International Labour Office (ILO) estimates that work-related diseases and accidents account for economic losses as high as 4% of the worldwide gross domestic product. Mortality from occupational diseases and injuries significantly afflicts society, in terms of both economic costs and human suffering. The OMM proved to be a valid tool for research studies to generate hypotheses about the occupational etiology of diseases, and to monitor and support priority actions for risk reduction in workplaces. Higher PMRs were reported for traditionally risky occupations such as shipbuilding for mesothelioma cases (PMR: 8.15 95% CI: 7.28–9.13) and leather production for sino-nasal cancer (PMR: 5.04 95% CI: 3.54–7.19), as well as for unexpected risks such as male breast cancer in the pharmaceutical industry (PMR: 2.56 95% CI: 1.33–4.93) and brain cancer in railways (PMR: 1.43 95% CI: 1.24–1.66). The proportional mortality ratio (PMR) was estimated to investigate the excess of mortality for specific causes associated with occupational sectors. The study population consisted of 6,433,492 deceased subjects in Italy (in the period 2005–2015), of which 2,723,152 records of work histories were retrieved (42%). This study developed the Occupational Mortality Matrix (OMM) aimed to identify significant associations between causes of death and occupational sectors through an individual record linkage between mortality data and the administrative archive of occupational histories. In Europe, around 80,000 workers die from cancer attributed to occupational exposure to carcinogens. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that 2.4 million workers die from work-related diseases every year. ![]() Mortality from occupational diseases significantly afflicts society, in terms of both economic costs and human suffering.
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