ACTU says 1.5 million workers are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), exposure to cancer-causing substances at work threatens the health and well being of as many as 1.5 million Australians.

The ACTU says construction workers are among those most affected by working with varying levels of cancer-causing substances.

International research shows people who work in the transport and defence industries as well as construction are most at risk because they can come into contact with toxic substances such as asbestos.

ACTU spokesman Geoff Fary says the risk is greater for men than women, with 12 per cent of all male workers exposed to carcinogens and with this in mind the ACTU is launching an information campaign to raise awareness among workers, governments and employers of the presence of dangerous substances in the workplace.

The ACTU says it is unacceptable in this day and age that people at work are exposed to substances which injure their health or have the potential to kill them.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow says Australia has the highest rate of recorded mesothelioma in the world, with exposure to asbestos the only known cause of the disease and she has called on the federal government to launch a national inquiry into asbestos in Australia.

The ACTU wants a national inquiry into asbestos in order to examine ways to eliminate it from workplaces and homes in Australia and to also examine possible compensation and treatment for those affected.

The ACTU estimates around 6,700 Australians die every year from workplace injuries or disease and the call for an asbestos inquiry coincides with International Workers Memorial Day, which commemorates the two million workers around the world who have died in the past 12 months.

The ACTU says around 6,700 Australians die every year from workplace injuries or disease.