Objectives: The legislature has established regulations governing the post-occupational medical monitoring of employees who have been exposed to carcinogens during their working lives. This medical monitoring is covered by the primary health insurance funds (CPAM) following review of the documentation submitted in support of the application. The Espaces study aims to test and evaluate a procedure to assist in the identification and post-occupational monitoring of retirees who were exposed to asbestos during their careers. Methods: A self-administered postal questionnaire, detailing the respondent’s work history, was sent in 1998 to 6,000 men in the general health insurance scheme who had retired in 1994, 1995, or 1996, selected at random from the records of 6 CPAMs. By cross-referencing each employment episode with a job-exposure matrix specific to asbestos (E. Orlowski), a probability of asbestos exposure was assigned to each subject. This result was then validated by a physician at the health examination center, who informed the retiree, if applicable, of their rights and the procedure for requesting coverage for specific medical follow-up. Results: 59.7% of the 6,000 subjects responded to the questionnaire. The proportion of retirees who may have been exposed to asbestos is estimated at 22%. Approximately 30 retirees were receiving post-occupational follow-up at the time of the study. Doctors from the Espaces study referred 400 participants to the Occupational Injuries and Diseases Services to initiate a coverage request; 309 began the process. A large number of cases are currently under review (n=104), 51 were denied, and 154 were accepted by the CPAM services. Of all the retirees in the study who may have been exposed to asbestos during their careers (nearly 900 according to our estimates), one-third of them initiated the process, and more than 100 abandoned the procedure. Conclusion: Nevertheless, this pilot program has led to a significant increase in the number of retirees receiving post-occupational follow-up. Widespread implementation of the method is feasible, provided that the data collection process and the use of the job-exposure matrix are streamlined.