The prevention of tumors in the aluminum industry

: Aluminium industry workers are exposed to various carcinogenic substances, the most important of which are asbestos and coal pitch and tar fumes. Primary prevention of cancer risk can be achieved either by eliminating the carcinogenic agent from the working environment, or by reducing the exposure levels or the number of exposed workers. In the aluminium industry the first type of approach is possible in the case of asbestos, which can be substituted with MMMF (man made mineral fibers), with the cancer risk thus passing from group 1 to group 2b of the IARC Classification. Complete abolition of exposure to pitch and coal-tar fumes is not feasible, but a reduction in risk can be achieved by using the pre-bake anode cell process instead of the Soderberg process, since the former reduces exposure of potroom workers to pitch and coal-tar fumes. A further reduction of exposure in pot-rooms can be achieved, as demonstrated by direct experience in an aluminium plant at Port Marghera (Province of Venice). Environmental monitoring performed from 1978 to 1989 showed a decrease in levels of total dust concentrations and thus of PAH and BaP concentrations as a result of a series of technical and/or organisational improvements. In biological monitoring, which can detect any skin absorption of the carcinogen, the concentrations of urinary hydroxypyrene confirmed low levels of exposure in the plant under study, excluding the pitch plant workers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)