Exposure to carcinogenic substances is known in most work environments, and many of these were classified as from epidemiological studies on working populations. The objective of this study is an integrative review on the main carcinogens at work environment as well as the main topographies affected by these substances. Survey was conducted in the databases Medline and Lilacs, whose term has been "câncer ocupacional" and "occupational cancer". It was observed that the articles point to the fact that it is likely that exposure to environmental/occupational to chemicals in general is also contribute to the disease population, without any relationship between cause and effect is established. The diffusion of chemicals does not occur exclusively through the known forms of pollution. It is therefore of paramount importance to build a surveillance system that meets these injuries two main objectives: to identify and control work environments where there is potential exposure to carcinogenic agents and systematization of information necessary to conduct epidemiological studies, whether exploratory or analytical.
cancer; occupational health; public health