Most employed Canadians spend a quarter of their adult life at work. For many, this means exposure to risks that can affect their long-term health, including factors that increase the chance of developing cancer. That’s why the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is investing in research that makes workplaces safer for everyone.
A leader in cancer prevention
Dr Paul Demers is a leading researcher in Canada’s efforts to prevent workplace-related cancers. He is the Scientific Director of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) at Ontario Health and a professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Today, he leads a CCS-funded research project to understand how many people in Canada face workplace-related lung cancer.
All cancers caused by workplace exposures are preventable and making people aware of the impact of carcinogens in the workplace is an essential first step.
The CCS Workplace Cancer Research Grants support innovative projects that deal with gaps in occupational cancer prevention. Dr Demers’ current research is part of this program, which brings together scientists, labour organizations and health partners to create meaningful change.
For over three decades, Dr Demers has focused on how work and workplaces expose people to cancer‑causing risks. By updating the latest numbers on workplace‑related lung cancers, he provides evidence that helps policymakers, employers and unions strengthen regulations, improve safety standards and ultimately prevent cancer.
Workplace exposures are an important cause of lung cancer and in industrialized countries, the best studies have estimated that around 15% of all lung cancers are caused by work.
“I’m excited about this research because I think it does have the potential to really push prevention forward in Canada,” says Dr Paul Demers. Lung cancer remains one of the most significant cancers and many people survive less than five years after diagnosis, highlighting the importance of Dr Demers’ work.
Building a culture of prevention
In 2012, his team estimated that about 10,000 cancers diagnosed each year in Canada were linked to workplaces. Now, with new funding from the CCS Workplace Cancer Research Grants, he’s updating those numbers for 2026.
The statistics that we generated, both on the numbers of cancers caused by asbestos and their economic costs, played a factor in the banning of asbestos in Canada. Those numbers were quoted by the federal government, used by unions and other advocates.
Dr Demers’ team is looking at dozens of occupational lung cancer exposures, such as diesel engine exhaust, crystalline silica and asbestos. By determining the number of cancers that are linked to workplaces and the economic costs associated with them, the research will paint a clear picture of the problem with statistics that can be used to develop new strategies and policies.
More people die of workplace cancer than fatal work injuries … and those don’t get the attention they deserve.
Dr Demers also stresses the importance of making lung cancer screening more inclusive. Right now, screening programs in Canada mainly target people who smoke, leaving out many workers who have been exposed to harmful substances in their workplaces. His team’s research aims to understand these gaps and support expanding screening for people at risk of workplace-related lung cancer.
John Fredericks, a Yellowknife-based fire chief, reminds us of the human impact of workplace cancer risks. Now in remission after being diagnosed in 2021 with a rare cancer, central nervous system lymphoma, John is deeply committed to advocating for change.
“I’m still part of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and we did a workshop for Health Canada because they’re writing a report on Bill C224.”
Bill C224 created a national framework to improve the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting. Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of contaminants on the job, many of which are known or suspected to cause cancer. These can include asbestos, benzene and diesel engine exhaust, among others.
“My oncologist said that exposure would have happened within the three months before I was diagnosed,” John said. “During that window, there was only one fire where I was on the ground. Incidentally, another firefighter that attended that fire has now passed away from cancer in 2023.”
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Workplace cancer prevention is a challenge that requires science, collaboration and commitment. The Canadian Cancer Society understands that – we’ve been backing Canada’s brightest science and investing in breakthroughs that save and improve lives for over eight decades. Thanks to Dr Demers’ leadership and CCS funding, Canada is building a future where fewer people face cancer because of their jobs.
Prevention really has to happen at the workplace level.
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