IARC revised "Monographs on Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans" website (Volumes 1-132)

4 July 2022

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, revised its website "IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans" <https://monographs.iarc.who.int/agents-classified-by-the-iarc/> on 1 July 2022.

This revision is to notify the publication of the summary results of "Monographs Volume 132: Occupational exposure as a firefighter".
<https://monographs.iarc.who.int/news-events/volume-132-occupational-exposure-as-a-firefighter/>

Firefighters respond to various types of fire (e.g. structure, wildland, and vehicle fires) and non-fire events (e.g. vehicle accidents, medical incidents, hazardous material releases, and building collapses). They may be exposed to a mixture of combustion products (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particulates), chemicals in firefighting foams, flame retardants, diesel exhaust, building materials, and other hazards, such as night shift work and ultraviolet radiation.

The Working Group evaluated occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) on the basis of sufficient evidence for cancer in humans. Occupational exposure as a firefighter causes mesothelioma and cancer of the bladder. There was limited evidence in humans for cancers of the colon, prostate, and testis, and for melanoma of the skin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There was also strong mechanistic evidence that occupational exposure as a firefighter exhibits multiple key characteristics of carcinogens in exposed humans.

•    * Note from JEIC:
  There is no change in the carcinogenic hazard categories for EMFs.