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
(1)
,
Andrea Baccarelli
,
Frederick A Beland
,
Amy Berrington
,
Pier Alberto Bertazzi
,
Lin Birnbaum
,
Ross C Brownson
,
John Bucher
,
Kenneth P Cantor
,
Elisabeth Cardis
(2)
,
John Cherrie
,
David Christiani
,
Pierluigi Cocco
(3)
,
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
(4)
,
Philippe Grandjean
,
Tom K Grimsrud
,
Per Gustavsson
,
Andy Haines
,
Patricia Hartge
,
John Hansen
,
Michael Hauptmann
,
Dick Heederik
,
Kari Hemminki
,
Denis Hemon
(5)
,
Irva Hertz-Picciotto
,
Jane A Hoppin
,
James Huff
,
Bengt Jarvholm
,
Daehee Kang
,
Margaret R Karagas
,
Kristina Kjaerheim
,
Helge Kjuus
,
Manolis Kogevinas
(6)
,
David Kriebel
,
Petter Kristensen
,
Hans Kromhout
,
Francine Laden
,
Pierre Lebailly
(7)
,
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
(8)
,
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
(9)
,
Eero Pukkala
,
Carol Rice
(10)
,
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
(2)
,
Eva Schernhammer
,
Adele S. Constantini
,
Noah Seixas
,
Carl Shy
,
Jack Siemiatycki
(11)
,
Debra T. Silvermann
,
Lorenzo Simonato
,
Allan H Smith
(12)
,
Martyn T Smith
(13)
,
John Spinelli
,
Margaret R Spitz
,
Lorann Stallones
,
Leslie T Stayner
,
Kyle Steenland
,
Mark Stenzel
,
Bernard W Stewart
,
Patricia A Stewart
,
Elaine Symanski
,
Benedetto Terracini
,
Paige E Tolbert
,
Harri Vainio
,
John Vena
,
Roel Vermeulen
,
Cesar G Victora
,
Elizabeth M Ward
,
Clarice R Weinberg
,
Dennis Weisenburger
,
Catharina Wesseling
,
Elisabete Weiderpass
(14)
,
Shelia Hoar Zahm
,
Adele Seniori Costantini
,
Debra T Silverman
1
The University of Sydney
2 CIBERESP - Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública = Consortium for Biomedical Research of Epidemiology and Public Health
3 UniCa - Università degli Studi di Cagliari = University of Cagliari
4 CONSTANCES - Cohortes épidémiologiques en population
5 CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A_1125 / UMR_S_1153) - Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique Sorbonne Paris Cité
6 CREAL - Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology
7 UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie
8 INRS-IAF - Institut Armand Frappier
9 Movement Disorders and Tourette Centre
10 Rockefeller University [New York]
11 CHUM - Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
12 Plymouth University
13 Siemens [New York]
14 MEB - Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
2 CIBERESP - Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública = Consortium for Biomedical Research of Epidemiology and Public Health
3 UniCa - Università degli Studi di Cagliari = University of Cagliari
4 CONSTANCES - Cohortes épidémiologiques en population
5 CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A_1125 / UMR_S_1153) - Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique Sorbonne Paris Cité
6 CREAL - Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology
7 UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie
8 INRS-IAF - Institut Armand Frappier
9 Movement Disorders and Tourette Centre
10 Rockefeller University [New York]
11 CHUM - Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
12 Plymouth University
13 Siemens [New York]
14 MEB - Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Neil Pearce
- Function : Author
Aaron Blair
- Function : Author
Paolo Vineis
- Function : Author
Wolfgang Ahrens
- Function : Author
Aage Andersen
- Function : Author
Josep M Anto
- Function : Author
Andrea Baccarelli
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 756587
- ORCID : 0000-0002-3436-0640
Frederick A Beland
- Function : Author
Amy Berrington
- Function : Author
Pier Alberto Bertazzi
- Function : Author
Lin Birnbaum
- Function : Author
Ross C Brownson
- Function : Author
John Bucher
- Function : Author
Kenneth P Cantor
- Function : Author
John Cherrie
- Function : Author
David Christiani
- Function : Author
David Coggon
- Function : Author
Pietro Comba
- Function : Author
Paul A Demers
- Function : Author
John Dement
- Function : Author
Jeroen Douwes
- Function : Author
Ellen A Eisen
- Function : Author
Lawrence S Engel
- Function : Author
Richard Fenske
- Function : Author
Lora E Fleming
- Function : Author
Tony Fletcher
- Function : Author
Elizabeth Fontham
- Function : Author
Francesco Forastiere
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 773255
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9162-5684
- IdRef : 228520851
Rainer Frentzel-Beyme
- Function : Author
Lin Fritschi
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 778753
- ORCID : 0000-0002-7692-3560
Michel Gerin
- Function : Author
Marcel Goldberg
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 756730
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6161-5880
- IdRef : 028740637
Philippe Grandjean
- Function : Author
Tom K Grimsrud
- Function : Author
Per Gustavsson
- Function : Author
Andy Haines
- Function : Author
Patricia Hartge
- Function : Author
John Hansen
- Function : Author
Michael Hauptmann
- Function : Author
Dick Heederik
- Function : Author
Kari Hemminki
- Function : Author
Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- Function : Author
Jane A Hoppin
- Function : Author
James Huff
- Function : Author
Bengt Jarvholm
- Function : Author
Daehee Kang
- Function : Author
Margaret R Karagas
- Function : Author
Kristina Kjaerheim
- Function : Author
Helge Kjuus
- Function : Author
Manolis Kogevinas
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 762958
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9605-0461
David Kriebel
- Function : Author
Petter Kristensen
- Function : Author
Hans Kromhout
- Function : Author
Francine Laden
- Function : Author
Grace Lemasters
- Function : Author
Jay H Lubin
- Function : Author
Charles F Lynch
- Function : Author
Elsebeth Lynge
- Function : Author
Andrea 'T Mannetje
- Function : Author
Anthony Mcmichael
- Function : Author
John Mclaughlin
- Function : Author
Loraine Marrett
- Function : Author
Marco Martuzzi
- Function : Author
James A Merchant
- Function : Author
Enzo Merler
- Function : Author
Franco Merletti
- Function : Author
Anthony Miller
- Function : Author
Franklin E Mirer
- Function : Author
Richard Monson
- Function : Author
Karl-Cristian Nordby
- Function : Author
Andrew F Olshan
- Function : Author
Frederica P Perera
- Function : Author
Melissa J Perry
- Function : Author
Angela Cecilia Pesatori
- Function : Author
Roberta Pirastu
- Function : Author
Miquel Porta
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 764568
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1684-7428
- IdRef : 066884004
Eero Pukkala
- Function : Author
David B Richardson
- Function : Author
Leonard Ritter
- Function : Author
Beate Ritz
- Function : Author
Cecile M Ronckers
- Function : Author
Lesley Rushton
- Function : Author
Jennifer A Rusiecki
- Function : Author
Ivan Rusyn
- Function : Author
Jonathan M Samet
- Function : Author
Dale P Sandler
- Function : Author
Eva Schernhammer
- Function : Author
Adele S. Constantini
- Function : Author
Noah Seixas
- Function : Author
Carl Shy
- Function : Author
Debra T. Silvermann
- Function : Author
Lorenzo Simonato
- Function : Author
John Spinelli
- Function : Author
Margaret R Spitz
- Function : Author
Lorann Stallones
- Function : Author
Leslie T Stayner
- Function : Author
Kyle Steenland
- Function : Author
Mark Stenzel
- Function : Author
Bernard W Stewart
- Function : Author
Patricia A Stewart
- Function : Author
Elaine Symanski
- Function : Author
Benedetto Terracini
- Function : Author
Paige E Tolbert
- Function : Author
Harri Vainio
- Function : Author
John Vena
- Function : Author
Roel Vermeulen
- Function : Author
Cesar G Victora
- Function : Author
Elizabeth M Ward
- Function : Author
Clarice R Weinberg
- Function : Author
Dennis Weisenburger
- Function : Author
Catharina Wesseling
- Function : Author
Shelia Hoar Zahm
- Function : Author
Adele Seniori Costantini
- Function : Author
Debra T Silverman
- Function : Author
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.