Background:

Urinary bladder neoplasm represents the most common urinary tract cancer worldwide. Tobacco and occupational exposure are the main risk factors associated to bladder cancer. Likewise, it was one of the first illnesses in which chemical agents were identified as potential triggers.

Objectives:

To review the available scientific literature about the relationship between occupational exposure to certain substances and bladder cancer development, as well as the main associated professions.

Methods:

Systematic review of scientific articles through bibliographic search in Medline (PubMed), SCOPUS, EMBASE, WOS, Cochrane, IBECS, LILACS and Google Scholar, published until November, the 20th 2019.

Results:

73 references were retrieved, 17 articles remained after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. According to the evidence, the main carcinogenic substances related to bladder cancer were aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, solvents (trichloroethylene, perchlorethylene). These agents can be found mainly in the following sectors and industries: textile, farming, metallurgy, hairdressing, painters and printing.

Conclusions:

There is scientific evidence to support a direct relationship between occupational exposure to different kind of agents: aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and solvents as trichloroethylene predominantly, and bladder cancer.