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Objective: This survey aimed to investigate exposure to welding fume in Australian workplaces and the use of protective and control measures among workers. Methods: Data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey of workers and employers involved in welding in Australia. Survey questions focused on the determinants of exposure to welding fume, welding experience and qualifications, and use of control measures. Results: There were 634 respondents to the survey across Australia of whom 577 (91%) were assessed as being exposed to welding fume, most at high levels. Welders undertook a wide range of types of welding, and higher-risk welding such as in confined and restricted spaces was common. Most workplaces did not have any form of mechanical ventilation, and use of air-supplied respiratory protection was poor even when ventilation was not used. Conclusion: Welders in Australia are exposed to several carcinogens, particularly welding fume, hexavalent chromium (CrVI) and nickel, and the use of control measures is sub-optimal. Implications for Public Health: Higher-order controls are the best way to reduce exposure to carcinogens in the workplace. The lack of use of these controls by Australian welders is concerning and needs to be a focus of attention by regulators and companies.

The international authorities, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, World Organization for Animal Health, United Nations Environment Programme, and World Bank, have endorsed the One Health concept as an effective approach to optimize the health of people, animals, and the environment. The One Health concept is considered as an integrated and unifying approach with the objective of sustainably balancing and optimizing the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. Despite variations in its definitions, the underlying principle remains consistent – recognizing the interconnected and interdependent health of humans, animals, and the environment, necessitating interdisciplinary collaboration to optimize health outcomes. The One Health approach has been applied in numerous countries for detecting, managing, and controlling diseases. Moreover, the concept has found application in various areas, including antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and ecotoxicology, with a growing demand. There is a growing consensus that the One Health concept and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals mutually reinforce each other. The World Bank has recommended five domains as foundational building blocks for operationalising the One Health approach, which includes: i) One Health stakeholders, roles, and responsibilities; ii) financial and personal resources; iii) communication and information; iv) technical infrastructure; and v) governance. The domains provide a generalised overview of the One Health concept and guide to its application. We conducted a scoping review following the five-staged Arksey and O’Malley's framework. The objective of the review was to map and synthesise available evidence of application of the One Health approach to five major zoonotic diseases using the World Bank domains. Publications from the year 2004, marking the inception of the term ‘One Health,’ to 2022 were included. Information was charted and categorised against the World Bank domains identified as a priori. We included 1132 records obtained from three databases: Embase, Medline, and Global Health; as well as other sources. After excluding duplicates, screening for titles and abstracts, and full text screening, 20 articles that contained descriptions of 29 studies that implemented the One Health approach were selected for the review. We found that included studies varied in the extent to which the five domains were utilised. Less than half the total studies (45%) used all the five domains and none of the studies used all the sub-domains. The environmental sector showed an underrepresentation in the application of the One Health approach to zoonotic diseases as 14 (48%) studies in 10 articles did not mention it as a stakeholder. Sixty two percent of the studies mentioned receiving support from international partners in implementing the One Health approach and 76% of the studies were supported by international donors to conduct the studies. The review identified disparate funding mechanisms employed in the implementation of the One Health approach. However, there were limited discussions on plans for continuity and viability of these funding mechanisms in the future.

Background: Exposure to welding fume is associated with adverse effects on worker health. The use of various control measures can reduce levels of exposure and the resulting health effects. However, little is known about the factors that may influence workers' use of control measures in the workplace and their perceived intervention needs. This study aimed to investigate workers' and other stakeholders' views on ways to improve the use of welding fume control measures in Australian workplaces. Methods: We conducted a series of online focus group discussions and individual interviews with participants who have some occupational involvement in welding, whether as workers, employers or industry representatives, union representatives, or regulators. A semi-structured question guide was used, and all discussions and interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Results: Five focus group discussions and five individual interviews were conducted with a total of 21 participants. Three major themes emerged. The first addressed the current awareness of welding fume harms and concern about exposure; the second focussed on the current use of control measures, and barriers and facilitators to their use; and the last centred around intervention needs and the contents of a potential effective intervention. Conclusion: Improving the use of control measures to prevent exposure to welding fume requires knowledge around the barriers and facilitators of control, use, and the intervention needs of stakeholders. This study has provided such knowledge, which will facilitate the design and implementation of an intervention to reduce welding fume exposure and ultimately protect the health of workers.

Background: Artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is produced during welding and can cause damage to both the eyes (ocular) and the skin (dermal). We aimed to investigate the protection used by welders to reduce their exposure to ocular and dermal UVR. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey in Australia that asked welders about their welding tasks and the control measures they used to protect against UVR exposure. Results: There were 634 respondents, of whom 411 undertook welding themselves, 36 supervised other welders, and 130 both supervised and welded. Dermal UVR exposure occurred in 7.8% of welders and 14.4% of supervisors, whereas ocular UVR exposure occurred in 16.8% of welders and 33.1% of supervisors. The use of personal control measures was much lower among supervisors than welders; however, the presence of warning signs or barriers was reported more often by supervisors. Conclusions: Despite the well-known acute and chronic effects of exposure to UVR from welding, there are still many welders and supervisors who do not use adequate protection.

Abstract Background: Assessment of occupational exposures is an integral component of population-based studies investigating the epidemiology of occupational diseases. However, all the available methods for exposure assessment have been developed, tested and used in high-income countries. Except for a few studies examining pesticide exposures, there is limited research on whether these methods are appropriate for assessing exposure in LMICs. The aim of this study is to compare a task-specific algorithm-based method (OccIDEAS) to a job-specific matrix method (OAsJEM) in the assessment of asthmagen exposures among healthcare workers in a high-income country and a low- and middle- income country (LMIC) to determine an appropriate assessment method for use in LMICs for future research. Methods: Data were obtained from a national cross-sectional survey of occupational asthmagens exposure in Australia and a cross-sectional survey of occupational chemical exposure among Bhutanese healthcare workers. Exposure was assessed using OccIDEAS and the OAsJEM. Prevalence of exposure to asthmagens and inter-rater agreement were calculated. Results: In Australia, the prevalence was higher for a majority of agents when assessed by OccIDEAS than by the OAsJEM (13 versus 3). OccIDEAS identified exposures to a greater number of agents (16 versus 7). The agreement as indicated by κ (Cohen’s Kappa coefficient) for six of the seven agents assessed was poor to fair (0.02 to 0.37). In Bhutan, the prevalence of exposure assessed by OccIDEAS was higher for four of the seven agents and κ was poor for all the four agents assessed (-0.06 to 0.13). The OAsJEM overestimated exposures to high-level disinfectants by assigning exposures to all participants from 10 (Bhutan) and 12 (Australia) ISCO-88 codes; whereas OccIDEAS assigned exposures to varying proportions of participants from these ISCO-codes. Conclusion: There was poor to fair agreement in the assessment of asthmagen exposure in healthcare workers between the two methods. The OAsJEM overestimated the prevalence of certain exposures. As compared to the OAsJEM, OccIDEAS appeared to be more appropriate for evaluating cross-country exposures to asthmagens in healthcare workers due to its inherent quality of assessing task-based determinants and its versatility in being adaptable for use in different countries with different exposure circumstances.

Dennis et al. investigate potential breast cancer associations with rare germline copy number variants (CNVs) by conducting a genome-wide analysis in a large breast cancer case-control dataset. The authors detected associations with exonic deletions in established breast cancer susceptibility genes and suggestive associations for a number of non-coding CNVs.

Abstract Background Given the high heterogeneity among breast tumors, associations between common germline genetic variants and survival that may exist within specific subgroups could go undetected in an unstratified set of breast cancer patients. Methods We performed genome-wide association analyses within 15 subgroups of breast cancer patients based on prognostic factors, including hormone receptors, tumor grade, age, and type of systemic treatment. Analyses were based on 91,686 female patients of European ancestry from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium, including 7531 breast cancer-specific deaths over a median follow-up of 8.1 years. Cox regression was used to assess associations of common germline variants with 15-year and 5-year breast cancer-specific survival. We assessed the probability of these associations being true positives via the Bayesian false discovery probability (BFDP

Introduction: The main purpose of this study was to determine if a combination of area noise measurements and task activity diaries give a reasonable estimate of full-shift dosimeter measurements in a cohort of utility workers. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of using task-based noise exposures to estimate full shift time weighted average (TWA) noise exposures. Methods: Estimates of full shift time TWA noise exposures for a group of utility workers (n = 224) were calculated using dosimeter measurements. Area noise measurements using a sound level meter were used to recreate the TWA for each personal dosimetry sample based on detail provided in the task activity diary for each sample. Full shift TWA noise exposures were compared to corresponding area noise measurements using simple linear regression analysis. Results: Associations between full shift TWA measurements and task-based area measurements were closely associated, with R2 values above 0.85 for all job roles. Discussion: Task-based noise exposure analysis has the potential to be widely used in the utilities industry. While full-shift monitoring to determine TWA exposures is useful, the changing work environment, variability in tasks and equipment, and varying workday hours, limit the ability of the 8-hr TWA to accurately characterise the exposures and associated health risks for utility workers.

Breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers varies depending on other genetic factors. Here, the authors perform a case-only genome-wide association study and highlight novel loci associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers.

The concept of professional judgement underpins the way in which an occupational hygienist assesses an exposure problem. Despite the importance placed on professional judgement in the discipline, a method of assessment to characterise accuracy has not been available. In this paper, we assess the professional judgement of four occupational hygienists ('experts') when completing exposure assessments on a range of airborne contaminants across a number of job roles within a surface mining environment in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The job roles assessed were project driller, mobile equipment operator, fixed plant maintainer, and drill and blast operator. The contaminants of interest were respirable crystalline silica, respirable dust, and inhalable dust. The novel approach of eliciting exposure estimates focusing on contaminant concentration and attribution of an exposure standard estimate was used. The majority of the elicited values were highly skewed; therefore, a scaled Beta distribution were fitted. These elicited fitted distributions were then compared to measured data distributions, the results of which had been collected as part of an occupational hygiene program assessing full-shift exposures to the same contaminants and job roles assessed by the experts. Our findings suggest that the participating experts within this study tended to overestimate exposures. In addition, the participating experts were more accurate at estimating percentage of an exposure standard than contaminant concentration. We demonstrate that this elicitation approach and the encoding methodology contained within can be applied to assess accuracy of exposure judgements which will impact on worker protection and occupational health outcomes.

For the benefits of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to be optimized, the fleet conversion process needs to be efficient and timely. This study explored public attitudes to AVs to inform strategies to increase receptivity to the wide-scale use of AVs. A national online survey was administered to a sample of 1,624 Australians aged 16+ years. The survey featured open-ended questions that scoped respondents’ perceptions of AVs. A grounded, thematic analysis identified two primary dimensions in the data: response valence (how positive or negative the comments were about the advent of AVs) and response type (the extent to which the comments reflected a cognitive or emotional response). This resulted in a dimensional analysis featuring four quadrants that captured the topics that were most frequently raised spontaneously by respondents. The quadrant characterized by comments that were positive/neutral and cognitive in nature was the most substantial, indicating general acceptance. Where concerns were expressed, they typically related to perceived safety, trust, and control issues, and tended to be more emotional in nature. The results highlight the importance of providing the public with concrete information about AVs to address fear levels and to resolve trust and control issues.

BackgroundCoal mine dust lung disease comprises a group of occupational lung diseases including coal workers pneumoconiosis. In many countries, there is a lack of robust prevalence estimates for these diseases. Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published contemporary estimates on prevalence, mortality, and survival for coal mine dust lung disease worldwide.MethodsSystematic searches of PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases for English language peer-reviewed articles published from 1/1/2000 to 30/03/2021 that presented quantitative estimates of prevalence, mortality, or survival for coal mine dust lung disease. Review was conducted per PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened independently by two authors. Studies were critically assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Pooled prevalence estimates were obtained using random effects meta-analysis models. Heterogeneity was measured using the I2 statistics and publication bias using Egger's tests.ResultsOverall 40 studies were included, (31 prevalence, 8 mortality, 1 survival). Of the prevalence estimates, fifteen (12 from the United States) were retained for the meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence estimate for coal workers pneumoconiosis among underground miners was 3.7% (95% CI 3.0-4.5%) with high heterogeneity between studies. The pooled estimate of coal workers pneumoconiosis prevalence in the United States was higher in the 2000s than in the 1990s, consistent with published reports of increasing prevalence following decades of declining trends. Sub-group analyses also indicated higher prevalence among underground miners, and in Central Appalachia. The mortality studies were suggestive of reduced pneumoconiosis mortality rates over time, relative to the general population.ConclusionThe ongoing prevalence of occupational lung diseases among contemporary coal miners highlights the importance of respiratory surveillance and preventive efforts through effective dust control measures. Limited prevalence studies from countries other than the United States limits our understanding of the current disease burden in other coal-producing countries.

Abstract. Despite the identification of acquired genetic mutations associated with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs) there is a paucity of information relating to modifiable risk factors that may lead to these mutations. The MOSAICC Study was an exploratory case-control study of polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and Myelofibrosis (MF). MPN patients and population controls (identified by General Practitioners) and non-blood relative/friend controls were recruited from 2 large UK centers. Participants completed a telephone-based questionnaire analyzed by unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders. Risk factors for MPNs identified included increasing childhood household density [odds ratio (OR) 2.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–5.62], low childhood socioeconomic status (OR 2.30, 95%CI 1.02–5.18) and high pack years smoking (OR 2.19, 95%CI 1.03–4.66) and current smoking restricted to JAK2 positive PV cases (OR 3.73, 95%CI 1.06–13.15). Obesity was linked with ET (OR 2.59, 95%CI 1.02–6.58) confirming results in previous cohort studies. Receipt of multiple CT scans was associated with a strongly increased risk of MPN although with wide confidence intervals (OR 5.38, 95%CI 1.67–17.3). Alcohol intake was inversely associated with risk of PV (OR 0.41, 95%CI 0.19–0.92) and ET (OR 0.48, 95%CI 0.24–0.98). The associations with childhood household density, high pack years smoking and alcohol were also seen in multivariate analysis. This is the largest case control study in MPNs to date and confirms the previously reported associations with obesity and cigarette smoking from cohort studies in addition to novel associations. In particular, the role of smoking and JAK2 mutation cases merits further evaluation.

Endometrial cancer is the most common invasive gynaecological cancer in developed countries. Here a meta-analysis identifies an additional nine novel endometrial cancer risk loci and eQTL analysis reveals risk variants associate with reduced expression of negative regulators of oncogenic signal transduction proteins.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23162-4

Abstract Background Estimates of the burden of disease caused by a particular agent are used to assist in making policy and prioritizing actions. Most estimations have employed the attributable fraction approach, which estimates the proportion of disease cases or deaths in a specific year which are attributable to past exposure to a particular agent. While this approach has proven extremely useful in quantifying health effects, it requires historical data on exposures which are not always available. Methods We present an alternative method, the future excess fraction method, which is based on the lifetime risk approach, and which requires current rather than historical exposure data. This method estimates the future number of exposure-related disease cases or deaths occurring in the subgroup of the population who were exposed to the particular agent in a specific year. We explain this method and use publically-available data on current asbestos exposure and mesothelioma incidence to demonstrate the use of the method. Conclusions Our approach to modelling burden of disease is useful when there are no historical measures of exposure and where future disease rates can be projected on person years at risk.

Abstract Objective: To develop a comprehensive list of asthmagens which may occur in occupational settings in Australia. Methods: Potential asthmagens considered for this list were identified through work health and safety classification databases in Australia and through lists developed by professional associations in other countries. Inclusion criteria were: there is evidence that the agent is asthmagenic; it is used in occupational settings; and it is available in Australia. Results: The final list contained 277 asthmagens in 27 groups that may be found in occupational circumstances in Australia. Three other agents that have been documented as asthmagens in Australia were included: almond dust, fluoride (in aluminium pot room fumes); and sawdust from the Australian Blackwood. Conclusions: This is the first comprehensive and inclusive list of Australian occupationally relevant asthmagens to have been compiled. Implications: This list is specific for Australian workplace exposure to asthmagens. It will help focus policy and preventative practices and reduce the burden of occupational asthma. It will also be useful in future studies to identify those who are exposed to the asthmagens and provide information to assist regulators to identify industries, occupations, specific activities and existing exposure standards that can be targeted to improve worker health and welfare.

Abstract Objective: To describe the approach underpinning a national project to estimate the numbers and proportions of cancers occurring in Australia in 2010 that are attributable to modifiable causal factors. Methods: We estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) (or prevented fraction) of cancers associated with exposure to causal (or preventive) factors using standard formulae. Where possible, we also estimated the potential impact on cancer incidence resulting from changes in prevalence of exposure. Analyses were restricted to factors declared causal by international agencies: tobacco smoke; alcohol; solar radiation; infectious agents; obesity; insufficient physical activity; insufficient intakes of fruits, vegetables and fibre; red and processed meat; menopausal hormone therapy (MHT); oral contraceptive pill (OCP); and insufficient breast feeding. Separately, we estimated numbers of cancers prevented by: aspirin; sunscreen; MHT; and OCP use. We discuss assumptions pertaining to latent periods between exposure and cancer onset, choices of prevalence data and risk estimates, and approaches to sensitivity analyses. Results: Numbers and population attributable fractions of cancer are presented in accompanying papers. Conclusions: This is the first systematic assessment of population attributable fractions of cancer in Australia.

Abstract Objective: To estimate the numbers and proportions of cancers occurring in Australia in 2010 attributable to modifiable causal factors. Methods: We estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) of cancers associated with exposure to 13 causal factors using standard formulae incorporating exposure prevalence and relative risk data. We also calculated the potential impact of changing exposure to some factors. Results: A total of 32% of all cancers diagnosed in Australia in 2010 (excluding keratinocyte cancers) were attributable to the 13 factors assessed (men 33%; women 31%). Leading factors were tobacco smoke (PAF all cancers: 13.4%), solar radiation (6.2%), inadequate diet (6.1%) and overweight/obesity (3.4%). Factors conferring highest PAFs differed by sex: highest PAFs for men were tobacco smoke (15.8%), solar radiation (7.1%) and alcohol (3.0%); while highest PAFs for women were tobacco smoke (10.1%), solar radiation (5.0%) and overweight/obesity (4.5%). Sites with the highest counts of potentially preventable cancers were lung (8,569), colorectal (7,404), melanoma of the skin (7,220) and breast (3,233). Conclusions: At least one in three cancers in Australia is attributable to exposure to known modifiable factors. Implications: Up to 37,000 cancers could be prevented in Australia each year if the population avoided exposure to 13 common factors known or strongly suspected to cause cancer.

Abstract Objectives: To estimate the proportion and numbers of cancers occurring in Australia attributable to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the proportion and numbers prevented by regular sun protection factor (SPF) 15+ sunscreen use. Methods: We estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) and numbers of melanomas and keratinocyte cancers (i.e. basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas) due to exposure to ambient UVR resulting from residing in Australia versus residing in the UK (for melanoma) or Scandinavia (for keratinocyte cancers). We also estimated the prevented fraction (PF): the proportion of cancers that would have occurred but were likely prevented by regular sunscreen use. Results: An estimated 7,220 melanomas (PAF 63%) and essentially all keratinocyte cancers occurring in Australia were attributable to high ambient UVR levels in Australia. We estimated that regular sunscreen use prevented around 14,190 (PF 9.3%) and 1,730 (PF 14%) people from developing SCC and melanoma, respectively. Conclusions: Although our approach was conservative, a high proportion of skin cancers in Australia are attributable to high ambient levels of UVR. Prevailing levels of sunscreen use probably reduced skin cancer incidence by 10–15%. Implications: Most skin cancers are preventable. Sunscreen should be a component of a comprehensive sun protection strategy.

Abstract Objective: BreastScreen WA offers population mammographic screening via fixed clinics in the metropolitan area and mobile clinics that visit country areas every two years. If an abnormality is suspected following mobile clinic screening, women undergo Step Down Assessment; diagnostic further views are performed at the mobile clinic and if a possibly significant abnormality persists, country women are referred to a Perth Metropolitan Breast Assessment Centre. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to determine if Step Down Assessment in country Western Australia offered the same diagnostic effectiveness as screening and assessment in the metropolitan area. Methods: The study included all screening episodes at BreastScreen WA between 1999 and 2008. Screening episodes from metropolitan and mobile clinics were compared according to the primary outcomes of cancer detection rates, recall and further investigations, cancer size, return to screen rates and interval cancers. Results: Cancer detection rate per 1,000 screening episodes was lower for the country program than the metropolitan program (3.07 (2.84–3.31) versus 7.04 (6.82–7.27)). The false negative (interval cancer) rate was lower for Step Down Assessment than for the metropolitan program. The size of cancers detected was similar for both screening services. Return to screen rates were comparable between both groups. Conclusion: The results indicate that the current service model is providing appropriate diagnostic effectiveness, as well as comparable client satisfaction, for country and metropolitan women.

Abstract Objective: Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is widely recognised as a leading cause of skin cancer, with outdoor workers being particularly at risk. Little is known on a national level about how many workers are exposed to solar radiation, the circumstances in which they are exposed, or their use of protective measures. Methods: The Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES) was a cross‐sectional telephone survey of 5,023 Australian workers aged 18 to 65. A subset of 1,113 respondents who indicated they worked outdoors was asked about their exposure to solar radiation in terms of the amount of time they spent working outdoors, their working location and their use of sun protective measures. Results: A total of 1,100 respondents (22% overall) were assessed as being exposed to solar radiation at work. Exposure was more likely among males and those residing in lower socioeconomic and regional areas. Sun protection was used by 95% of the respondents, although the level of protection varied among workers, with only 8.7% classified as fully protected. Conclusions: This study provides valuable information regarding solar exposure that has not previously been available. Implications: The results of this study will inform strategies for risk reduction.

Abstract Objectives: To examine the relationship between self‐reported noticing of pesticide spray drift from agricultural areas and breast cancer. Methods: A case‐control study of breast cancer was conducted in Western Australia from 2009 to 2011. Awareness of pesticide spray drift from agricultural areas was assessed by a self‐report of whether the participant had noticed spray drift. To evaluate recall bias, we stratified the analysis by participants' belief about whether pesticides increase the risk of breast cancer. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). This analysis included 1,743 controls and 1,169 cases. Sensitivity analysis for potential selection and misclassification bias was also conducted. Results: Among women who reported ‘ever noticed’ pesticide spray drift from agricultural areas, an increased risk of breast cancer was also observed (OR=1.43; 95% CI 1.15, 1.78). A dose response relationship between lifetime exposure to noticing pesticide spray drift and risk of breast cancer was observed (p

Background: Occupational end users of pesticides may experience bodily absorption of the pesticide products they use, risking possible health effects. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working in the field of agricultural health or other areas where occupational end use of pesticides and exposure issues are of interest. Methods: This paper characterizes the health effects of pesticide exposure, jobs associated with pesticide use, pesticide-related tasks, absorption of pesticides through the skin, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for reducing exposure. Conclusions: Although international and national efforts to reduce pesticide exposure through regulatory means should continue, it is difficult in the agricultural sector to implement engineering or system controls. It is clear that use of PPE does reduce dermal pesticide exposure but compliance among the majority of occupationally exposed pesticide end users appears to be poor. More research is needed on higher-order controls to reduce pesticide exposure and to understand the reasons for poor compliance with PPE and identify effective training methods.

Abstract Objective: To develop a list of carcinogens to guide decisions on priorities for preventive action in Australian workplaces. Approach: The following criteria provided the assessment framework to establish a list of priority carcinogens: evidence of carcinogenicity using International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) criteria; use in occupational circumstances; and use in Australia industry. Literature from national and international agencies relating to carcinogens and industrial practice informed the assessment. Conclusion: The final priority list contained 38 established or probable carcinogenic agents that are present in Australian workplaces. Agents were grouped into the following categories: combustion products, inorganic dusts, organic dusts, metals, radiation, other industrial chemicals and non‐chemical agents. The priorities are based primarily on the potential for occupational exposure and evidence of use in Australian industry because there is imited information on the prevalence and level of exposure to occupational carcinogens in Australia. Implications: The priority list of agents can provide direction for future disease burden studies to establish the prevalence and levels of exposure to carcinogens amongst Australian workers. From a policy viewpoint, a priority list will allow regulators to focus on activities such as setting exposure standards and restricting importation and use.

Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon but rapidly fatal disease for which the principal aetiological agent is exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is of particular significance in Australia where asbestos use was very widespread from the 1950s until the 1980s. Exposure to asbestos includes occupational exposure associated with working with asbestos or in workplaces where asbestos is used and also ‘take-home’ exposure of family members of asbestos exposed workers. Asbestos exposure may also be nonoccupational, occurring as a consequence of using asbestos products in non-occupational contexts and passive exposure is also possible, such as exposure to asbestos products in the built environment or proximity to an environmental source of exposure, for example an asbestos production plant. The extremely long latency period for this disease makes exposure assessment problematic in the context of a mesothelioma registry. OccIDEAS, a recently developed online tool for retrospective exposure assessment, has been adapted for use in the Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR) to enable systematic retrospective exposure assessment of consenting cases. Twelve occupational questionnaire modules and one non-occupational module have been developed for the AMR, which form the basis of structured interviews using OccIDEAS, which also stores collected data and provides a framework for generating metrics of exposure.

Abstract Objective: To determine the effect of certain personal and health behaviour characteristics on participation in a community‐based colorectal neoplasia (CRN) screening program using virtual colonoscopy. Methods: The study population comprised randomly selected subjects from the State electoral roll; screening by virtual colonoscopy was offered through letter of invitation. For non‐responders, a further invitation was sent a month later. Non‐response after a further month led to subjects being considered non‐participants. Non‐participants were contacted by letter to complete a structured questionnaire; participants completed a similar questionnaire immediately after their screening virtual colonoscopy. Results: Discussing the invitation to screening with someone else increased the likelihood of participation by 63% (prevalence ratio 1.63, 95% CI 1.38–1.93); knowing someone with cancer increased the likelihood of participation by 23% (PR 1.23, 95% CI 1.07–1.42). Among participants who discussed screening with another individual, the spouse was the most common (71%). Subjects who were single were less likely to participate (PR 0.79, 95% CI 0.67–0.94). The strongest reported influence for participation was information provided in the letter of invitation (29.8%). The most common reasons for non‐participation were lack of time and perceived good health. Conclusions and Implications: This study suggests that a simple strategy to facilitate participation is to encourage subjects to discuss screening with others; further, to recognise that this may be most difficult for those who are single. Information provided to subjects prior to screening positively contributes to participation.