[Carcinogens and mutagens in Polish enterprises in 2022-2023]

The aim of the study is to present information on the occurrence of carcinogenic or mutagenic agents in Polish enterprises in 2022-2023, based on information from the Central Register of Data on Exposure to Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Reprotoxic Chemical Substances, Their Mixtures, Agents or Technological Processes (Centralny rejestr danych o narażeniu na substancje chemiczne, ich mieszaniny, czynniki lub procesy technologiczne o działaniu rakotwórczym, mutagennym lub reprotoksycznym - CRCR) maintained at the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine.

Employers who employ workers with carcinogenic, mutagenic, and, from 2024, also reprotoxic agents, are legally obliged to register such works. Information from voivodeships is submitted annually to the sanitary and labor inspection, and nationwide data are collected in the CRCR. The study used data for 2022-2023, collected and verified by the CRCR staff in 2023-2024. Data for groups of agents - chemical substances, physical factor - ionizing radiation, and technological processes - were also analyzed. Previous data (2005-2021) were used for comparison.

In 2022-2023 data were collected from 14 500 and 17 100 enterprises. An increase also occurred for specific groups of agents - chemical substances, technological processes, and the only physical agent legally recognized as carcinogen and mutagen - ionizing radiation. The largest increase concerned technological processes - >26% (7653 and 9685 during the analyzed years). The most frequently reported were 2 technological processes - work involving exposure to wood dust and the respirable fraction of crystalline silica - followed by ionizing radiation and 2 chemical substances: unspecified low-boiling-point gasoline and formaldehyde.

The increase in the number of reports is due not only to economic and technological developments, but also to legal changes that have expanded the list of carcinogenic or mutagenic agents. The further extending the list of substances subject to the obligation to register in workplaces to include reprotoxic substances will result in a sharp increase in the number of notifications for 2024. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2026;77(1):49-59.