01/07/2008
On 23 June 2008, the French Audit Office issued a report on the implementation of the Cancer Plan, which was launched a couple of years ago by former French President Jacques Chirac.

The document criticizes the enforcement of the measures set out in the plan to fight against occupational cancer. According to the Audit Office, the objective of a constant epidemiological surveillance of the workers exposed to carcinogens at work has not been reached.

The report points out that it is a negative approach considering that “between two and five millions workers might be exposed to carcinogens in France”. It underlines that the mortally rate among blue collars is ten times higher than among managers and professionals.

The Audit Office also believes that the French government took too much time to transpose the European directive which imposes more stringent limit values for carcinogens at the workplace. The report emphasizes that it has taken six long years to implement the directive. Consequently, in the meantime, workers were exposed to a higher risk of occupational cancers.

• The report (in French)