The Nordic Occupational Exposome and Cancer: Decades of Change, Mixtures, and Inequalities (NordExCan)

Even today, many cancers are caused by preventable exposures in the workplace. This project leverages the unique, long-term health and employment registries of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland to investigate these hidden risks. We will analyze decades of data from millions of workers to map how exposures to chemicals and other hazards throughout a career influence cancer risk and identify high-risk occupations and sectors. This project will also pinpoint the causes of rare cancers, determine if higher death rates in certain jobs are due to more cancer cases, later diagnosis, or poorer treatment, and understand the role of factors like lifestyle and social inequality. The findings will be compiled into a public Nordic Occupational Exposome Atlas, providing clear evidence to help regulators, health services, and companies create safer workplaces, ensure fairer compensation, and reduce cancer inequalities across the Nordic region.