[Using CAREX data base system for occupational exposure to carcinogens in Estonia].

CAREX (CARcinogen EXposure) is international information system on occupational exposure to know and suspected carcinogens. The CAREX database provides selected exposure data and documented estimates of the number of exposed by workers by country, carcinogen, and industry. CAREX includes data on 139 agents evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, displayed across the 55 industrial classes of the United Nations system (ISIC Revision 2). In 1999-2000, CAREX approach was applied to Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Czech exposure situation in 1997. According to the preliminary estimates, there were about 180,000 workers (29% of the employed) exposed to the agents covered by CAREX in Estonia in 1997. The number of the exposures was approximately 240,000. The most common exposure were solar radiation (62,000 workers), wood dust (34,000 exposed), environmental tobacco smoke (31,000), diesel engine exhaust (21,000 exposed), crystalline silica (19,000), radon and its decay products (14,000), formaldehyde (9000) benzene (7000), ethylene dibromide (6400), lead and inorganic compounds (6200), and glasswool (4300).