Guideline for the calculation of occupational cancer risk values

At the request of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Exposure Safety (DECOS) estimates the additional cancer risk associated with occupational exposure to carcinogenic substances for which no safe exposure level can be derived.

The methodology for deriving cancer risk values was defined by the Health Council of the Netherlands in a guideline published in 1995. Subsequent scientific developments prompted the Committee to update this guideline. The new guideline describes a method based on epidemiological data, and a method based on toxicological data. In drafting this guideline, the Committee has taken note of the methodologies used by other countries and organisations.