[A new update of the SIMLII Guidelines on carcinogens]

The second update of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene (SIMLII) guidelines on Cancerogens and Mutagens, first published in 2003 and reviewed in 2007, is presented. The general setting of the guidelines remaines unmodified. In this new release some important developments on regulatory system, risk assessment, and health surveillance are discussed. The relevant evolution of the regulatory rules is illustrated in detail, with particular reference to the recent implementation in European Union and in Italy of the Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures. The recent tendencies of the European Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits in risk assessment, are presented. Some remarks on the use of new biomarkers in health surveillance, with reference to lung and bladder cancer, are discussed. The more recent results on the effectiveness of the use of LDTC scan on screening in asymptomatic persons at high risk for lung cancer, are presented. The use of this imaging technique in health surveillance of special group of workers (i.e., subjects with relevant past asbestos exposure and smokers) could be adopted.