Over 100,000 people die each year in Europe due to chemical risks at work, mainly from cancer.

Omissions

• Geographic scope: the EU-OSHA figure of 'more than 100,000' annual fatalities refers to the European Union (EU-27), not the entire European continent as the MEP implies by saying 'notre continent' (our continent).
• Causal framing: EU-OSHA attributes these deaths to 'occupational cancers' broadly, not specifically to 'chemical risks at work.' While the large majority of occupational carcinogens are indeed chemical agents (asbestos alone accounts for a substantial share), the official data does not isolate chemical risks as a standalone category matching the 100,000+ figure. Some occupational cancers also stem from physical agents (e.g. UV radiation, ionising radiation) and biological agents.
• An alternative estimate from a 2025 academic study published in PMC, drawing on WHO/ILO data, puts occupational cancer deaths across Europe at approximately 80,250 for 2019 — notably lower than the EU-OSHA figure regularly cited. This discrepancy is not addressed in the claim.
• The MEP did not cite any source, making independent verification dependent on identifying the underlying data.

Sources

• PrimaryEU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work)Cancer remains the leading cause of work-related deaths in the EU, representing more than 100,000 fatalities every year.
• PrimaryEU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work) — Press RoomOccupational cancers are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the EU, responsible for more than 100,000 fatalities every year.
• AcademicPMC / European Code Against Cancer (5th edition) — occupational cancer sectionIn 2019, approximately 176,000 work-related deaths occurred across Europe, with around 80,250 attributed to occupational cancers.