Human exposure to potentially carcinogenic compounds

Average exposures to suspected carcinogens were surveyed for the population in Finland. Alcohol, food and tobacco constitute the largest sources of exposure. Occupational populations may be more exposed than the population at large, by many orders of magnitude. For example, occupational exposure to airborne asbestos and trichloroethylene may be 10 000 times higher than exposure outside workplaces. Application of exposure data to health surveillance and epidemiological research is discussed.