This article has been accepted for publication in J Epidemiol Community Health 2016;70:741-745 following peer review and can also be viewed on the journal’s website at https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech-2015-207005.The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs Programme identifies chemicals, drugs, mixtures, occupational exposures, lifestyles and personal habits, and physical and biological agents that cause cancer in humans and has evaluated about 1000 agents since 1971. Monographs are written by ad hoc Working Groups (WGs) of international scientific experts over a period of about 12 months ending in an eight-day meeting. The WG evaluates all of the publicly available scientific information on each substance and, through ...