Occupational exposures to chemical hazards increase bladder cancer risk
Chemical exposures in the workplace can increase the risk of bladder cancer — the fifth most common cancer in Canada. This is due to the role the kidneys play in filtering harmful chemical substances from the blood: these chemicals end up in the bladder until voided.
About 37 Canadians are diagnosed with bladder cancer every day, meaning 13,400+ will be diagnosed this year alone, according to Bladder Cancer Canada.
Occupations at highest risk of bladder cancer
Firefighters, painters, and those working in aluminum, auramine, magenta and rubber manufacturing are at greater risk of bladder cancer from occupational exposures to carcinogenic agents, according to the IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization.
Agents linked to bladder cancer
Other agents that are classified as carcinogenic to humans and linked to bladder cancer include:
- 4-Aminobiphenyl
- Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds
- Benzidine
- Chlornaphazine
- Cyclophosphamide
- 2-Naphthylamine
- Schistosoma haematobium
- ortho-Toluidine
- X-radiation
- gamma-radiation
- opium (consumption of)
- tobacco (consumption of)
Take action to prevent bladder cancer
SDS RiskAssist provides easy-to-use, cost-effective tools to protect workers from cancers and other occupational diseases. Use our software to take action:
✅ Instantly identify carcinogenic and other chemical hazards in your workplace
✅ Eliminate unnecessary chemical products
✅ Select safer products, and
✅ Easily communicate safety procedures for their use, storage and disposal using one-page SafetySnap SDS summaries.
Using the SDS RiskAssist Safer Chemicals tool, you can compare chemical products by standard WHMIS hazards, as stated in the safety data sheets, to select safer products. You can also compare products by a list of known hazards associated with the ingredients stated in the SDSs.
See how the SDS RiskAssist Safer Chemicals tool works (YouTube video).
Bladder cancer resources
See more bladder cancer resources from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre.
Need help with a chemical safety issue at work? Please reach out to us! We're here to help.
Also see our:
