IARC classifies five organophosphate pesticides, including glyphosate

by | Mar 20, 2015 | Announcements

glyphosateThe CAREX Canada team monitors evaluations by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as part of our ongoing surveillance of Canadians’ exposures to known and suspected carcinogens. IARC recently convened a working group of 17 experts from 11 countries to assess the carcinogenicity of five organophosphate pesticides: glyphosate, malathion, diazinon, tetrachlorvinphos, and parathion.

IARC evaluated these pesticides given that substantial new data was available. The detailed assessments will be published as Volume 112 of the IARC Monographs. A summary of the results of the evaluation is published online in The Lancet Oncology. Many of the exposure studies used to inform the evaluation were agricultural; these studies were published after 2001 and performed in the USA, Canada, and Sweden. The classifications are summarized as follows:

Globally, glyphosate is currently the most highly produced herbicide. Sales data from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada show that by weight, glyphosate is by far the most widely sold pesticide in the country. It is most widely used in agriculture, but also in forestry, urban, and home applications. According to IARC, glyphosate has been detected in the air during spraying, in water, and in food. They note that the general population is exposed primarily through residence near sprayed areas, home use, and diet, and consider the level of exposure as generally low.

Malathion is produced in substantial volumes throughout the world and is currently used in agriculture, public health, and residential insect control. Workers may be exposed while using and producing malathion. IARC considers exposure to the general population as low, occurring primarily with residence near sprayed areas, home use, and diet. Diazinon is produced in lower volumes, particularly after restrictions were put in place in the United States and European Union in 2006. Diazinon is used in agriculture and for control of home and garden insects.

The full IARC monograph for glyphosate is available here. The CAREX team has developed profiles for glyphosate, malathion, and diazinon, and is currently developing an approach to estimating Canadians’ exposure to these chemicals in workplace and community environments. Profiles for other pesticides classified by IARC as Group 2B possible carcinogens can be found under our Profiles and estimates tab by filtering for pesticides; they include: 2,4-D, chlorothalonil, dichlorvos, lindane, and others.

Subscribe to our newsletters

The CAREX Canada team offers two regular newsletters: the biannual e-Bulletin summarizing information on upcoming webinars, new publications, and updates to estimates and tools; and the monthly Carcinogens in the News, a digest of media articles, government reports, and academic literature related to the carcinogens we’ve classified as important for surveillance in Canada. Sign up for one or both of these newsletters below.

Subscribe

CAREX Canada

School of Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia
Vancouver Campus
370A - 2206 East Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z3
CANADA

© 2024 CAREX Canada

Email: info@carexcanada.ca

Simon Fraser University

FAQs
Terms of Use
Glossary

As a national organization, our work extends across borders into many Indigenous lands throughout Canada. We gratefully acknowledge that our host institution, the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus, is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

IARC assesses whether some nanomaterials and fibres cause cancer

by | Jan 27, 2015 | Announcements

As part of our ongoing surveillance of Canadians exposures to carcinogens, the CAREX team monitors evaluations by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In October 2014, IARC gathered 21 experts from 10 countries to evaluate whether a selection of nanomaterials and fibers cause cancer.

The expert team looked specifically at fluoro-edenite, silicon carbide fibres and whiskers, and carbon nanotubes (including single-walled and multi-walled varieties). A summary of their conclusions for each nanomaterial is summarized below.

Silicon carbide:

  • Occupational exposures associated with manufacturing silicon carbide particles, called the Acheson process, were classified as carcinogenic (Group 1) based on sufficient evidence that they cause lung cancer in humans.
  • Fibrous silicon carbide was classified as possibly carcinogenic (Group 2B) based on limited evidence in humans that it causes lung cancer.
  • Silicon carbide whiskers were classified as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), rather than possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), because the physical properties of the whiskers resemble those of asbestos fibres, which are known carcinogens.

Virtually all the silicon carbide sold in the world is manufactured. This substance occurs in three forms: particles that are used in industry as an abrasive, fibres that are a by-product of particle manufacturing, and whiskers that are used as durable substitutes for asbestos.

Fluoro-edenite fibres:

  • These fibres were classified as carcinogenic (Group 1) based on sufficient evidence that human exposure causes mesothelioma.

Fluoro-edenite is a mineral that can take the form of fibres similar to asbestos. Quarry products from Biancavilla in Italy, used to make unpaved roads in the area since the 1950s, are a source for airborne fluoro-edenite fibres. Exposures have also occurred via indoor air, as a result of the quarry’s products being used in building materials.

Carbon nanotubes:

  • A specific nanotube, multi-walled carbon nanotube-7 was classified as possibly carcinogenic(Group 2B) based on evidence showing that they caused mesotheliomas in male and female rats.
  • All other multi-walled and single-walled carbon nanotubes were categorised as not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3) due to insufficient evidence.

Carbon nanotubes consist of either a single cylinder of carbon (single-walled), with an outer diameter of 1–3 nm, or of multiple carbon cylinders arranged in layers (multi-walled) with diameters of 10–200 nm. The characteristics of carbon nanotubes vary depending on how they’re produced. They can be used to improve the structural integrity of fabrics, plastics, rubbers, electronics (i.e. in transistors and solar cells), and structural materials, as well as in medicine (i.e. drug delivery and bone tissue engineering). More information can be found on our carbon nanotubes profile.

The full IARC Monograph Volume 111: Some Nanomaterials and Some Fibres is available here.

Subscribe to our newsletters

The CAREX Canada team offers two regular newsletters: the biannual e-Bulletin summarizing information on upcoming webinars, new publications, and updates to estimates and tools; and the monthly Carcinogens in the News, a digest of media articles, government reports, and academic literature related to the carcinogens we’ve classified as important for surveillance in Canada. Sign up for one or both of these newsletters below.

Subscribe

CAREX Canada

School of Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia
Vancouver Campus
370A - 2206 East Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z3
CANADA

© 2024 CAREX Canada

Email: info@carexcanada.ca

Simon Fraser University

FAQs
Terms of Use
Glossary

As a national organization, our work extends across borders into many Indigenous lands throughout Canada. We gratefully acknowledge that our host institution, the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus, is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

New results for levels and burden of exposure to diesel exhaust in workplaces

by | Jan 15, 2015 | Announcements

mine shaftThanks to a collaborative effort with scientists from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre, our occupational exposures team was able to estimate the levels of exposure to diesel engine exhaust in Canadian workplaces. Results show the majority of workers exposed to diesel exhaust are in the low exposure category, with a significant number at risk for moderate to high exposure.

Diesel exhaust is a known carcinogen and among the most prevalent occupational exposures in Canada; our estimates show that approximately 897,000 Canadians are exposed to diesel exhaust at work. In mining-related industries, where underground work increases the possibility for exhaust to accumulate, the majority of exposed workers fall into the highest exposure category. In transportation industries, the majority of exposed workers are in the low exposure category.

A summary of exposure level results by industry is available under the Levels of Exposure for diesel engine exhaust on our website. The approach used to calculate levels is described under the Data Sources and Methods tab.

These estimates were used to inform initial estimates for burden of workplace exposure to diesel exhaust.

Our partners at the Occupational Cancer Research Centre recently presented preliminary results on the burden of workplace exposure to diesel engine exhaust, upgraded in 2012 to a known human carcinogen. This work is part of a major project funded by the Canadian Cancer Society to apply CAREX Canada estimates to calculate the current burden of occupational cancers in Canada.

Estimates show that between 1961-2001, approximately 1.4 million Canadian workers were exposed to diesel engine exhaust at work. Preliminary calculations show that the proportion of new cancer cases and cancer deaths that can be attributed to this exposure is: 4.92% for males, 0.29% for females, and 2.70% overall. These estimates are somewhat higher than those reported by a recent occupational cancer burden project in Great Britian (1.3-1.8%). The Canadian estimates were developed using the most recent evidence for the risk of lung cancer from occupational exposure to diesel engine exhaust, as well as detailed historical exposure assessment for diesel exhaust from CAREX Canada and detailed labour force models.

More information about this project can be found on our Burden of Cancer page and on OCRC’s website.

Subscribe to our newsletters

The CAREX Canada team offers two regular newsletters: the biannual e-Bulletin summarizing information on upcoming webinars, new publications, and updates to estimates and tools; and the monthly Carcinogens in the News, a digest of media articles, government reports, and academic literature related to the carcinogens we’ve classified as important for surveillance in Canada. Sign up for one or both of these newsletters below.

Subscribe

CAREX Canada

School of Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia
Vancouver Campus
370A - 2206 East Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z3
CANADA

© 2024 CAREX Canada

Email: info@carexcanada.ca

Simon Fraser University

FAQs
Terms of Use
Glossary

As a national organization, our work extends across borders into many Indigenous lands throughout Canada. We gratefully acknowledge that our host institution, the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus, is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

CAREX assesses Canadian veterinary workers’ exposures to radiation and cancer drugs

by | Feb 6, 2014 | Announcements

veterinarianCAREX team members performed the first national assessment of Canadian veterinary workers’ exposures to ionizing radiation and antineoplastic agents (drugs used to treat cancer). The results of this assessment are published in the November/December 2013 issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

There are approximately 12,600 registered veterinarians in Canada, employed primarily in private practice, government, education, research, and industry. An additional 11,100 Canadians are trained to assist as “veterinary technicians”.

Ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, is commonly used for X-ray scans in veterinary practice. CAREX estimates showed that <10% of all veterinarians and veterinary technicians were exposed to an annual ionizing radiation dose above 0.1 mSv (the minimum detectable level) in 2006, representing a total of between 536 and 1450 workers. Although none of these exposures was over regulatory limits, accumulated low levels of ionizing radiation may present a health hazard. Exposure estimates were calculated using a combination of Census statistics and data from the Radiation Protection Bureau of Health Canada’s National Dose Registry.

Although the National Dose Registry is intended to monitor all potentially exposed workers, CAREX found that not all are being captured by this program . Provincial monitoring proportions ranged from 12% to 94% of veterinarians and 9% to 80% of veterinary technicians. This variation can be partly (but not entirely) explained by differences in monitoring requirements across provinces.

For antineoplastic agents, used to treat cancer in dogs and cats, exposure was predicted in up to 23% (5,300) of all veterinary workers, with an estimated prevalence range of 22% to 24% of veterinarians and 20% to 21% of veterinary technicians. Estimates were developed using statistics on employment by practice type obtained from veterinary licensing bodies, and agent usage rates obtained from peer-reviewed literature.

CAREX’s investigation into exposures to antineoplastic agents revealed that little is known about how the agents are being used and who is being exposed in Canadian veterinary settings. This is likely due to their emerging – and increasing – use in veterinary medicine and a lack of regulatory surveillance.

Suggested next steps include increasing exposure surveillance and examining exactly how veterinarians are being exposed to these agents across practice areas, occupations, and tasks. This information will help to identify individuals at risk for exposure and disease, direct prevention efforts, and inform future research.

To learn more about ionizing radiation and antineoplastic agents, and how Canadians are exposed to these and many other agents at work, please visit our Profiles and Estimates page.

Subscribe to our newsletters

The CAREX Canada team offers two regular newsletters: the biannual e-Bulletin summarizing information on upcoming webinars, new publications, and updates to estimates and tools; and the monthly Carcinogens in the News, a digest of media articles, government reports, and academic literature related to the carcinogens we’ve classified as important for surveillance in Canada. Sign up for one or both of these newsletters below.

Subscribe

CAREX Canada

School of Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia
Vancouver Campus
370A - 2206 East Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z3
CANADA

© 2024 CAREX Canada

Email: info@carexcanada.ca

Simon Fraser University

FAQs
Terms of Use
Glossary

As a national organization, our work extends across borders into many Indigenous lands throughout Canada. We gratefully acknowledge that our host institution, the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus, is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.