Working under the sun causes 1 in 3 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer, say WHO and ILO

Nearly 1 in 3 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer is caused by working under the sun, according to joint estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) published today. The research released in Environment International finds that outdoor workers carry a large and increasing burden of non-melanoma skin cancer and calls for action to prevent this serious workplace hazard and the loss of workers’ lives it causes. This work was done in collaboration with scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

According to the joint estimates, 1.6 billion people of working age (15 years or older) were exposed to solar ultraviolet radiation while working outdoors in 2019, equivalent to 28% of all working-age people. In 2019 alone, almost 19 000 people in 183 countries died from non-melanoma skin cancer due to having worked outdoors in the sun. The majority (65%) were male.

Pega F, Momen NC, Streicher KN, Leon-Roux M, Neupane S, Schubauer-Berigan MK, et al.
Global, regional and national burdens of non-melanoma skin cancer attributable to occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation for 183 countries, 2000–2019: a systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury
Environ Int, Published online 8 November 2023;
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108226