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Occupational cancer in Canada: what do we know?
1Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Summary
Occupational cancer reporting in Canada is inconsistent and incomplete, with less than 10% of cases compensated. Improved disease surveillance and physician education are needed to address underreporting.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Epidemiology
- Cancer surveillance
Background:
- Occupational cancer reporting in Canada is inconsistent.
- Data availability varies significantly across provinces and territories.
- Physician reporting is mandated only in select regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess occupational cancer reporting requirements in Canada.
- To determine data availability and completeness of reported occupational cancers.
- To analyze characteristics of reported occupational cancer cases.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive epidemiologic study was conducted.
- Data were collected from workers' compensation boards (WCBs) and cancer registries (1980-1989).
- Information on accepted/rejected claims, demographics, occupation, industry, and exposure agents was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Only three provinces provided complete claims data.
- Most claims (1026) were for men, with two-thirds being respiratory cancers.
- Asbestos was a key exposure; less than 10% of occupational cancers are compensated, primarily due to underreporting.
Conclusions:
- Occupational cancer data in Canada is inconsistently available and incompletely reported.
- Significant underreporting to WCBs contributes to low compensation rates.
- Enhanced disease surveillance and education are recommended to improve reporting accuracy.