4 4

2015 2016

87%

47%

73%

82%

63%

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular 

and Other Chronic Disease 

Prevention Program July 2017

What are our priorities?

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular 

and Other Chronic Disease Prevention (CRC) Program works with partners in industry, labor, trade associations, professional organizations, and academia. The program focuses on:

• Preventing and reducing incidence of occupational cancer

• Preventing and reducing incidence of adverse reproductive outcomes related to work

• Preventing and reducing incidence of occupational cardiovascular disease (CVD)

What do we do?

• Conduct research on occupational cancer on 

high priority worker populations and exposures 

and communicate findings.

• Conduct research on high-priority agents to 

identify and quantify risk of adverse reproductive health outcomes associated with workplace factors and communicate findings.

• Assess the association of workplace factors and 

exposures with sub-clinical/clinical CVD using a 

variety of methods. 

• Create documents to assist stakeholders in CRC 

prevention efforts.

• Promote use of CRC research by authoritative 

organizations such as the Occupational Safety 

and Health Administration, National Toxicology 

Program, International Agency for Research on 

Cancer, and National Fire Protection Agency.

• Maximize CRC resources by collaborating with 

external researchers to evaluate occupational 

risk factors in pre-existing health studies. 

What have we accomplished?

• Published the “NIOSH List of Antineoplastic 

and Other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, 2016.” 

• Generated information used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to support the revised silica standard and a new beryllium standard. 

• Provided expert consultation on occupational 

hazards associated with cancer or reproductive 

effects to the National Toxicology Program; the 

International Agency for Research on Cancer; 

an international consortium conducting the International Nuclear Workers Study; and the International Association of Fire Fighters. 

• Expanded work with the Nurses’ Health Study 

to assess potential reproductive effects among 

healthcare workers exposed to antineoplastic 

drugs and high-level disinfectants.

• Provided research and provisional material 

lifting guidelines that were key components of 

clinical guidance statements adopted by the 

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

• Published an industrywide biomonitoring evaluation of Bisphenol A (BPA) among manufacturing workers, finding that workers had elevated urine concentrations of BPA.

• Provided the scientific basis underlying proposed federal legislation to create a national 

fire fighter cancer registry. This legislation referenced a NIOSH cohort study of nearly 30,000 

firefighters. 

• Published “Current Intelligence Bulletin 68: 

NIOSH Chemical Carcinogen Policy.” 

What’s next?

• Publish industrywide exposure assessment of:

— BPA among manufacturing workers, building on currently available information. 

— Occupational exposure to flame retardant 

chemicals. A wide range of chemicals and 

mixtures are used as flame retardants; reported health effects have included liver 

and thyroid effects, developmental changes, and neurotoxicity.

• Publish translation of NIOSH Reproductive 

Health Topic Page in Spanish. 

• Create multimedia training on occupational 

risks for pregnant women doing lifting tasks.

• Publish NIOSH Science Blog on actions employers can take to improve workers’ reproductive 

outcomes.

• Develop and share evidence-based recommendations for firefighters on preventing skin exposure to hazardous chemicals during building 

fires.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2017-206

At-A-Glance

The Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular and Other Chronic Disease 

Prevention Program provides leadership in preventing work-related 

diseases related to many types of cancer, 

reproductive health, and cardiovascular 

diseases, as well as occupational 

neurologic and renal disease. This 

snapshot shows recent accomplishments 

and upcoming work.

To learn more, visit 

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/

crcd/default.html

Percent of International Agency for Research 

on Cancer Evaluations citing CRC Program 

work

Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

Note: No evaluations were published in 2011 and 2015; 

Includes only evaluations of occupationally relevant agents

Source: NIOSH Program Records

Publication Spotlight:

Current Intelligence Bulletin 68:

 NIOSH Chemical Carcinogen Policy

Number of new associations between workplace exposures and reproductive health 

outcomes evaluated by CRC Program research