The authorities of the French department of Seine-Saint-Denis (north-east of Paris) have issued a call for action on work-related cancers.

The call’s sponsors claim that a manual worker between the ages of 45 and 54 has a four times greater risk of dying from cancer than a top manager of the same age. "France holds the European record for cancer deaths under 65", adds the press release (in French).

The call’s demands include an expansion of public research on toxins, compliance with the laws on the employer's responsabilities to ensure safety, and proper recognition of employers’ and work prescribers’ criminal liability.

The Seine-Saint-Denis department is highly industrialized and densely populated, and has one of France’s highest cancer mortality rates.