One in three deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer is directly related to exposure to solar radiation during work activity, according to a report from the Labor Health and Environment Secretariat of CCOO, which demands that skin cancer resulting from occupational solar exposure be recognized as an occupational disease.
The document is based on data from a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) published in 2023, which indicates that occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation is the third most relevant occupational carcinogen, surpassed only by asbestos and silica dust.
According to this study, deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer associated with solar exposure in the workplace increased by 88% between 2000 and 2019, rising from 10,088 to 18,960 deaths during that period.
CCOO emphasizes that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies solar radiation as a category 1 carcinogen and considers overexposure to this radiation as the main preventable cause of skin cancer.
In light of this situation, the union calls for strengthening the prevention of risks linked to solar exposure, especially among people who work outdoors, such as farmers, construction and road workers, fishermen, gardeners, and those working in street cleaning or waste collection.
Among the preventive measures, CCOO proposes restricting exposure during the hours of greatest radiation, providing shaded areas, supplying appropriate clothing and protective equipment, and ensuring training and information for workers, in addition to specific health monitoring that promotes early detection of possible cases.
Similarly, the union insists that companies have the obligation to identify and assess the risk derived from ultraviolet radiation and to organize work activities considering the existing levels of solar radiation.
CCOO states that it has already presented to the technical group on occupational diseases of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) its request for skin cancer caused by solar exposure at work to be formally recognized as an occupational disease.