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More than 8000 cancer deaths in Britain each year can be attributed to work, a major piece of research has found.

The study, funded by the HSE and published in the British Journal of Cancer, is the first to quantify in detail the burden of cancer in Britain caused by occupation. Researchers used a list of work-related agents classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as group 1 (established) and group 2A (probable) carcinogens.

They estimated the overall burden in Britain attributable to occupational carcinogens to be 5.3 per cent of all cancer deaths, and calculated the total number of deaths attributable to occupational carcinogens as 8010 (6355 for men and 1655 for women). They also found that 13,598 new cancer cases are caused by risk factors related to work each year.

Even though it is no longer used in construction, asbestos is the biggest contributor to both total attributable deaths and new cases, as maintenance of older buildings continues to expose workers to health risks. Just under half of the total deaths were among male construction workers, who are more likely than most to come into contact with asbestos, as well as other carcinogens, such as silica and diesel-engine exhaust.

Several industry sectors contribute substantially to the overall cancer burden, including construction, manufacturing, mining, painting and decorating, personal and household services, printing and publishing, public administration and defence, and wholesale and retail trades.