IARC monographs: 40 years of evaluating carcinogenic hazards to humans

Neil Pearce; Aaron Blair; Paolo Vineis; Wolfgang Ahrens; Aage Andersen; Josep M Anto; Bruce K Armstrong; Andrea Baccarelli; Frederick A Beland; Amy Berrington; Pier Alberto Bertazzi; Lin Birnbaum; Ross C Brownson; John Bucher; Kenneth P Cantor; Elisabeth Cardis; John Cherrie; David Christiani; Pierluigi Cocco; David Coggon; Pietro Comba; Paul A Demers; John Dement; Jeroen Douwes; Ellen A Eisen; Lawrence S Engel; Richard Fenske; Lora E Fleming; Tony Fletcher; Elizabeth Fontham; Francesco Forastiere; Rainer Frentzel-Beyme; Lin Fritschi; Michel Gerin; Marcel Goldberg; Philippe Grandjean; Tom K Grimsrud; Per Gustavsson; Andy Haines; Patricia Hartge; John Hansen; Michael Hauptmann; Dick Heederik; Kari Hemminki; Denis Hemon; Irva Hertz-Picciotto; Jane A Hoppin; James Huff; Bengt Jarvholm; Daehee Kang; Margaret R Karagas; Kristina Kjaerheim; Helge Kjuus; Manolis Kogevinas; David Kriebel; Petter Kristensen; Hans Kromhout; Francine Laden; Pierre Lebailly; Grace LeMasters; Jay H Lubin; Charles F Lynch; Elsebeth Lynge; Andrea 't Mannetje; Anthony McMichael; John Mclaughlin; Loraine Marrett; Marco Martuzzi; James A Merchant; Enzo Merler; Franco Merletti; Marie-Elise Parent; Anthony Miller; Franklin E Mirer; Richard Monson; Karl-Cristian Nordby; Andrew F Olshan; Frederica P Perera; Melissa J Perry; Angela Cecilia Pesatori; Roberta Pirastu; Miquel Porta; Eero Pukkala; Carol Rice; David B Richardson; Leonard Ritter; Beate Ritz; Cecile M Ronckers; Lesley Rushton; Jennifer A Rusiecki; Ivan Rusyn; Jonathan M Samet; Dale P Sandler; Silvia de Sanjose; Eva Schernhammer; Adele S Constantini; Noah Seixas; Carl Shy; Jack Siemiatycki; Debra T Silvermann

doi:10.1289/ehp.1409149

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IARC monographs: 40 years of evaluating carcinogenic hazards to humans

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IARC monographs: 40 years of evaluating carcinogenic hazards to humans

Neil Pearce, Aaron Blair, Paolo Vineis, Wolfgang Ahrens, Aage Andersen, Josep M Anto, Bruce K Armstrong, Andrea Baccarelli, Frederick A Beland, Amy Berrington, …

Environmental health perspectives, Vol.123(6), pp.507-14

02/24/2015

DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409149

PMID: 25712798

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Abstract

Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Programme for the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans has been criticized for several of its evaluations, and also for the approach used to perform these evaluations. Some critics have claimed that failures of IARC Working Groups to recognize study weaknesses and biases of Working Group members have led to inappropriate classification of a number of agents as carcinogenic to humans. The authors of this Commentary are scientists from various disciplines relevant to the identification and hazard evaluation of human carcinogens. We examined criticisms of the IARC classification process to determine the validity of these concerns. Here, we present the results of that examination, review the history of IARC evaluations, and describe how the IARC evaluations are performed. We concluded that these recent criticisms are unconvincing. The procedures employed by IARC to assemble Working Groups of scientists from the various disciplines and the techniques followed to review the literature and perform hazard assessment of various agents provide a balanced evaluation and an appropriate indication of the weight of the evidence. Some disagreement by individual scientists to some evaluations is not evidence of process failure. The review process has been modified over time and will undoubtedly be altered in the future to improve the process. Any process can in theory be improved, and we would support continued review and improvement of the IARC processes. This does not mean, however, that the current procedures are flawed. The IARC Monographs have made, and continue to make, major contributions to the scientific underpinning for societal actions to improve the public's health.

Life Sciences

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Carcinogens, Environmental

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Title: Subtitle: IARC monographs: 40 years of evaluating carcinogenic hazards to humans
Creators: Neil Pearce
Aaron Blair
Paolo Vineis
Wolfgang Ahrens
Aage Andersen
Josep M Anto
Bruce K Armstrong - The University of Sydney
Andrea Baccarelli
Frederick A Beland
Amy Berrington
Pier Alberto Bertazzi
Lin Birnbaum
Ross C Brownson
John Bucher
Kenneth P Cantor
Elisabeth Cardis - CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)
John Cherrie
David Christiani
Pierluigi Cocco - Universita degli Studi di Cagliari [Cagliari]
David Coggon
Pietro Comba
Paul A Demers
John Dement
Jeroen Douwes
Ellen A Eisen
Lawrence S Engel
Richard Fenske
Lora E Fleming
Tony Fletcher
Elizabeth Fontham
Francesco Forastiere
Rainer Frentzel-Beyme
Lin Fritschi
Michel Gerin
Marcel Goldberg - Cohortes épidémiologiques en population
Philippe Grandjean
Tom K Grimsrud
Per Gustavsson
Andy Haines
Patricia Hartge
John Hansen
Michael Hauptmann
Dick Heederik
Kari Hemminki
Denis Hemon - Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique Sorbonne Paris Cité
Irva Hertz-Picciotto
Jane A Hoppin
James Huff
Bengt Jarvholm
Daehee Kang
Margaret R Karagas
Kristina Kjaerheim
Helge Kjuus
Manolis Kogevinas - Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology
David Kriebel
Petter Kristensen
Hans Kromhout
Francine Laden
Pierre Lebailly - Université de Caen Normandie
Grace LeMasters
Jay H Lubin
Charles F Lynch
Elsebeth Lynge
Andrea 't Mannetje
Anthony McMichael
John Mclaughlin
Loraine Marrett
Marco Martuzzi
James A Merchant
Enzo Merler
Franco Merletti
Marie-Elise Parent - Institut Armand Frappier
Anthony Miller
Franklin E Mirer
Richard Monson
Karl-Cristian Nordby
Andrew F Olshan
Frederica P Perera
Melissa J Perry
Angela Cecilia Pesatori
Roberta Pirastu
Miquel Porta - Movement Disorders and Tourette Centre
Eero Pukkala
Carol Rice - Rockefeller University [New York]
David B Richardson
Leonard Ritter
Beate Ritz
Cecile M Ronckers
Lesley Rushton
Jennifer A Rusiecki
Ivan Rusyn
Jonathan M Samet
Dale P Sandler
Silvia de Sanjose - CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)
Eva Schernhammer
Adele S Constantini
Noah Seixas
Carl Shy
Jack Siemiatycki - Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
Debra T Silvermann
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Environmental health perspectives, Vol.123(6), pp.507-14
Publisher: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409149
PMID: 25712798
ISSN: 0091-6765
eISSN: 1552-9924
Language: English
Date published: 02/24/2015
Academic Unit: Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology
Record Identifier: 9983995103702771

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