Paul A. Demers

The study authors received a request from the Ontario Ministry of Labour for an evaluation of existing safe work practices in community pharmacies, veterinary clinics and long-term care homes that handle antineoplastic drugs. This request arose from concerns due to the limited amount of information on antineoplastic drug exposure and best work practices for the handling of antineoplastic drugs in these work places. This report summarizes the findings from the evaluation whose goal was to present contemporary work practices and measures in use for minimizing occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs within community pharmacies, veterinary clinics and long-term care homes in Ontario.

The study authors received a request from the Ontario Ministry of Labour for an evaluation of existing safe work practices in community pharmacies, veterinary clinics and long-term care homes that handle antineoplastic drugs. This request arose from concerns due to the limited amount of information on antineoplastic drug exposure and best work practices for the handling of antineoplastic drugs in these work places. This report summarizes the findings from the evaluation whose goal was to present contemporary work practices and measures in use for minimizing occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs within community pharmacies, veterinary clinics and long-term care homes in Ontario.

Background: Quantifying the potential cancer cases associated with environmental carcinogen exposure can help inform efforts to improve population health. This study developed an approach to estimate the environmental burden of cancer and applied it to Ontario, Canada. The purpose was to identify environmental carcinogens with the greatest impact on cancer burden to support evidence-based decision making. Methods: We conducted a probabilistic assessment of the environmental burden of cancer in Ontario. We selected 23 carcinogens that we defined as “environmental” (e.g., pollutants) and were relevant to the province, based on select classifications provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We evaluated population exposure to the carcinogens through inhalation of indoor/outdoor air; ingestion of food, water, and dust; and exposure to radiation. We obtained or calculated concentration-response functions relating carcinogen exposure and the risk of developing cancer. Using both human health risk assessment and population attributable fraction models in a Monte Carlo simulation, we estimated the annual cancer cases associated with each environmental carcinogen, reporting the simulation summary (e.g., mean and percentiles). Results: We estimated between 3540 and 6510 annual cancer cases attributable to exposure to 23 environmental carcinogens in Ontario. Three carcinogens were responsible for over 90% of the environmental burden of cancer: solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, radon in homes, and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in outdoor air. Eight other carcinogens had an estimated mean burden of at least 10 annual cancer cases: acrylamide, arsenic, asbestos, chromium, diesel engine exhaust particulate matter, dioxins, formaldehyde, and second-hand smoke. The remaining 12 carcinogens had an estimated mean burden of less than 10 annual cancer cases in Ontario. Conclusions: We found the environmental burden of cancer in Ontario to fall between previously estimated burdens of alcohol and tobacco use. These results allow for a comparative assessment across carcinogens and offer insights into strategies to reduce the environmental burden of cancer. Our analysis could be adopted by other jurisdictions and repeated in the future for Ontario to track progress in reducing cancer burden, assess newly classified environmental carcinogens, and identify top burden contributors.

Introduction Previous Canadian epidemiologic studies have identified associations between occupations and prostate cancer risk, though evidence is limited. However, there are no well-established preventable risk factors for prostate cancer, which warrants the need for further investigation into occupational factors to strengthen existing evidence. This study uses occupation and prostate cancer information from a large surveillance cohort in Ontario that linked workers’ compensation claim data to administrative health databases. Methods Occupations were examined using the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS). ODSS included 1 231 177 male workers for the 1983 to 2015 period, whose records were linked to the Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR) in order to identify and follow up on prostate cancer diagnoses. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate age-adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CI to estimate the risk of prostate cancer by occupation group. Results A total of 34 997 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed among workers in ODSS. Overall, elevated prostate cancer risk was observed for men employed in man¬agement/administration (HR 2.17, 95% CI = 1.98–2.38), teaching (HR 1.99, 95% CI = 1.79–2.21), transportation (HR 1.20, 95% CI = 1.16–1.24), construction (HR 1.09, 95% CI = 1.06–1.12), firefighting (HR 1.62, 95% CI = 1.47–1.78), and police work (HR 1.20, 95% CI = 1.10–1.32). Inconsistent findings were observed for clerical and farm¬ing occupations. Conclusion Associations observed in white collar, construction, transportation, and protective services occupations were consistent with previous Canadian studies. Findings emphasize the need to assess job-specific exposures, sedentary behaviour, psy¬chological stress, and shift work. Understanding specific occupational risk factors can lead to better understanding of prostate cancer etiology and improve prevention strategies.

Introduction Des études épidémiologiques canadiennes ont permis d’établir des liens entre certaines professions et le risque de cancer de la prostate, mais avec des données probantes limitées. Il n’y a pas de facteurs de risque évitables bien établis pour le cancer de la prostate, ce qui rend nécessaire l’examen approfondi des facteurs professionnels pour consolider les données existantes. Cette étude utilise des données sur les professions et sur le cancer de la prostate provenant d’une importante cohorte de surveillance en Ontario pour laquelle les données des demandes d’indemnisation des accidentés du tra¬vail sont jumelées aux bases de données administratives sur la santé. Méthodologie Nous avons examiné les professions des 1 231 177 travailleurs de sexe masculin du Système de surveillance des maladies professionnelles entre 1983 et 2015 et nous avons jumelé ces travailleurs au Registre des cas de cancer de l’Ontario afin de détecter et suivre les cas de diagnostics de cancer de la prostate. Nous avons utilisé des modèles de risques proportionnels de Cox pour calculer les rapports de risques (RR) ajus¬tés selon l’âge et des intervalles de confiance (IC) à 95 % pour estimer le risque de cancer de la prostate par groupe professionnel. Résultats Au total, 34 997 cas de cancer de la prostate ont été diagnostiqués parmi les travailleurs inscrits dans le Système de surveillance des maladies professionnelles. Dans l’ensemble, on a observé un risque élevé de cancer de la prostate chez les hommes tra¬vaillant dans les domaines de la gestion et de l’administration (RR = 2,17; IC à 95 % = 1,98 à 2,38), de l’enseignement (RR = 1,99; IC à 95 % = 1,79 à 2,21), du transport (RR = 1,20; IC à 95 % = 1,16 à 1,24), de la construction (RR = 1,09; IC à 95 % = 1,06 à 1,12), de la lutte contre les incendies (RR = 1,62; IC à 95 % = 1,47 à 1,78) et du travail policier (RR = 1,20; IC à 95 % = 1,10 à 1,32). Des résultats incohérents ont été observés en ce qui a trait aux emplois de bureau et à ceux du secteur agricole. Conclusion Les associations observées dans les professions de cols blancs, de la construction, du transport et des services de protection concordent avec les résultats d’études canadiennes antérieures. Nos résultats mettent l’accent sur la nécessité d’éva¬luer les expositions spécifiques aux divers emplois, le comportement sédentaire, le stress psychologique et le travail par quarts. La compréhension de certains facteurs de risque professionnels permettrait de mieux comprendre l’étiologie du cancer de la prostate et d’améliorer les stratégies de prévention.

Background: The recently established Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) was used to examine breast cancer risk in women and men by occupation and industry.Methods: Ontario workers in the ODSS cohort (1983‐2016) were followed up for breast cancer diagnosis through the Ontario Cancer Registry. Cox‐proportional hazard models were used to calculate age‐adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: A total of 17 865 and 492 cases were identified in working women (W) and men (M), respectively. Elevated risks were observed in management (W: HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.40‐1.70; M: HR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.44‐5.39), administrative/clerical (W: HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.11‐1.21; M: HR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.06‐1.99), and teaching (W: HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.44‐1.63; M: HR = 3.00, 95% CI = 1.49‐6.03). Other elevated risks were observed in nursing/health, social sciences, and janitor/cleaning services for both genders.Conclusions: Common occupational associations in both genders warrant investigation into job‐related risk factors, such as sedentary behavior, shift work, ionizing radiation, and chemical exposures.

Although radon is a well-established contributor to lung cancer mortality among uranium miners, the effects of radon decay products on different histopathologies of lung carcinoma are not well established. Using a retrospective cohort design, this study aims to examine the risks of lung cancer by histological subtypes associated with exposure to radon decay products among the Ontario Uranium Miners cohort. Cases were stratified by histological groups, and associated risks were estimated for cumulative radon exposure after adjustment for attained age and calendar period. Between 1969 and 2005, 1274 incident cases of primary lung cancer were identified. Of these, 1256 diagnoses (99%) contained information on histology. Squamous cell carcinoma was most common (31%), followed by adenocarcinoma (20%), large cells (18%), small cell lung carcinoma (14%), and other or unspecified cell types (17%). Of the histological sub-groups, small cell lung carcinoma had the strongest association with cumulative radon exposure; compared to the reference group (60 cumulative WLM) had a relative risk (RR) of 2.76 (95% CI: 1.67–4.57). Adenocarcinoma had the lowest risk and was not significantly associated with exposure to radon decay products (RR = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.96–2.31). An increasing, linear trend in relative risk was noted with increasing cumulative WLM across small cell, squamous cell, and large cell lung carcinomas (P_trend < 0.05). Similarly, the excess relative risk (ERR) per WLM was highest for small cell lung carcinoma (ERR/WLM = 0.15, p < 0.01), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (ERR/WLM = 0.12, p < 0.01). Non-statistically significant excess risk was observed for adenocarcinoma (ERR/WLM = 0.004, p = 0.07). Our analysis of the Ontario Uranium Miners cohort data shows differences in the magnitude of the risks across four histological subtypes of lung carcinoma; the strongest association was noted for small cell lung carcinoma, followed by squamous cell, large cell, and lastly adenocarcinoma, which showed no significant associations with exposure to radon decay products.

Objective To estimate the population attributable fraction (PAF) and number of incident and fatal lung cancers in Canada from occupational exposure to diesel engine exhaust (DEE). Methods DEE exposure prevalence and level estimates were used with Canadian Census and Labour Force Survey data to model the exposed population across the risk exposure period (REP, 1961–2001). Relative risks of lung cancer were calculated based on a meta-regression selected from the literature. PAFs were calculated using Levin’s equation and applied to the 2011 lung cancer statistics obtained from the Canadian Cancer Registry. Results We estimated that 2.4% (95% CI 1.6% to 6.6%) of lung cancers in Canada are attributable to occupational DEE exposure, corresponding to approximately 560 (95% CI 380 to 1570) incident and 460 (95% CI 310 to 1270) fatal lung cancers in 2011. Overall, 1.6 million individuals alive in 2011 were occupationally exposed to DEE during the REP, 97% of whom were male. Occupations with the highest burden were underground miners, truck drivers and mechanics. Half of the attributable lung cancers occurred among workers with low exposure. Conclusions This is the first study to quantify the burden of lung cancer attributable to occupational DEE exposure in Canada. Our results underscore a large potential for prevention, and a large public health impact from occupational exposure to low levels of DEE.