Chemicals campaign
December 1st 2008 Employers who risk the
future health of their
employees by exposing them
to cancer-causing chemicals
at work should be prosecuted
under UK safety laws, the
TUC has said as it produces
a new guide for unions.
Launching a campaign to
raise awareness of the toxic
chemicals and substances
such as wood dust and
diesel particles that can
make workers ill sometimes
years after leaving their
jobs, the TUC guide aims to
help union safety reps keep
up the pressure on
employers to make
workplaces safer, and stop
them from taking
unnecessary risks with their
employees' lives.
Around 250,000 people are
diagnosed with cancer every
year, and although it is
impossible to say how many
of these cases are as a result
of contact with substances
that people have come into
contact with at work, the TUC
estimates that work is the
reason behind up to as many
as 18,000 of these diagnoses. More articles from TUC: | 
