Table 1

Definition of subjects at high risk for lung cancer between the ages of 55 and 74 years for a cumulative exposure to occupational pollutant ≥10 years

Occupational pollutant	Cumulative level of exposure* or disease	Active or former smoking, after quitting for less than 15 years
Asbestos	Intermediate	≥30 PY
	High†	≥30 PY
	High‡	≥20 PY
	Asbestosis	≥20 PY
	Pleural plaques	≥30 PY
Other carcinogenic agents§		≥30 PY
Co-exposure
2 carcinogenic agents		≥20 PY
≥ 3 carcinogenic agents		≥ 10 PY

Adapted to Delva et al 16
Special cases: Crystalline silica (silicosis is necessary to integrate the high-risk group for lung cancer, independently of the duration of exposure); diesel engine exhaust fumes (a high level of exposure defined by employment in underground mines, tunnel construction or underground mine maintenance is necessary to integrate the high-risk group for BPC).
Intermediate exposure: All other documented significant occupational exposure situations. The majority of these situations involve intervention on materials or equipment likely to discharge asbestos fibres.
*From the definition of the jury of the 1999 French consensus conference on the follow-up of asbestos-exposed workers: High exposure: Confirmed, high and continued exposure for a duration equal to or in excess of 1 year; examples: working in the manufacture or transformation of materials including asbestos and their equivalents during intervention on materials or equipment likely to discharge asbestos fibres (eg,: fireproofing, naval construction); Confirmed, high and discontinued exposure of a duration equal to or in excess of 10 years (eg,: mechanics/machine operators on heavy goods vehicle brake systems, cutting of asbestos cement).
†Cumulative exposure duration <5 years.
‡Cumulative exposure duration ≥5 years.
§aluminium production, coal gasification, coal tar pitch, coke production, X-rays and gamma rays, radon, iron ore mines, plutonium, steel foundries, the painting profession, rubber production, chromium(VI) compounds, beryllium, cadmium and its compounds, bis(chloromethyl) ether, chloromethyl methyl ether, metal cobalt with tungsten carbide and welding fumes.