10% of French employees take risks while working, according to the DARES (direction of the animation of research, studies and statistics). Workers are the most affected by this exposure to carcinogenic products, specifies the survey carried out on the basis of data from occupational physicians.
The workers represent more than two thirds of the employees in contact with substances dangerous for health. Construction (maintenance and public works) is the sector mainly concerned by these health risks since 31.9% of its employees were exposed to at least one carcinogenic chemical in the week to © casting.
Then there is industry (17.7% of exposed employees), agriculture (13.5%), then the tertiary sector (6.4%).
More broadly, at the level of all French employees, exposure to carcinogenic products lasts less than 2 hours per day and remains unchanged. ???? a low intensity.
Exposure to diesel and asbestos
What are the pollutants involved? Diesel exhaust gas, whole mineral oils, wood dust and crystalline silica are most common. Other substances such as trichlorethylene, formaldehyde, coal tars and bitumen and asbestos are mentioned.
Some are known to be harmful. the dieselhas been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. Its particles increase the risk of lung cancer in people exposed in their professional environment such as mechanics or truck drivers.
Formaldehyde is a very irritating component used in DIY products, maintenance products, in wall, floor or furniture coverings, in plastics. In 2009, the French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (AFSSET) warned against the risks of respiratory tract irritation or even cancer among employees. © s in contact with formaldehyde.
Finally, the effects of asbestos on health (pulmonary fibrosis, risk of lung cancer or cancer of the pleura, etc.) are no longer to be demonstrated. Despite being banned in 1997, this construction material still causes many occupational diseases. Last February, the Institute for Public Health Surveillance revealed that 65% of artisans have been exposed to asbestos during their careers.