Program aims to better understand 'the impact of people's workplace on cancer and cancer risk'
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has announced nearly $800,000 in new Workplace Cancer Research Grants, supporting four Canadian research teams investigating occupational cancer risks, prevention, and treatment. With about 10,000 Canadian workers diagnosed with work-related cancers each year, the initiative aims to address major gaps in knowledge and prevention.
Targeting Canada’s most pressing occupational cancer risks
This year’s grants focus on lung cancer prevention among construction workers exposed to asbestos, updated statistics and costs of occupational lung cancer across industries, risks for healthcare workers handling anti-cancer drugs, and skin cancer rates and prevention for outdoor workers. The projects were developed with input from labour unions and workers’ compensation boards, ensuring that research addresses the most pressing workplace health concerns across Canada.
Dr. Stuart Edmonds, executive vice president of mission, research and advocacy at CCS, said the program is “really understanding the impact of people's workplace on cancer and cancer risk.” He says the initiative is possible thanks to “a pretty amazing partnership with a number of unions, boards and other interested parties.”
Research projects: From asbestos to sun exposure
One of the funded projects, led by Dr. Nathan DeBono of Ontario Health, will analyze the effectiveness of lung cancer screening among construction workers exposed to asbestos. DeBono’s team will use data from Ontario’s Asbestos Exposure Surveillance Registry to study how often workers engage with healthcare services and whether they are being screened for lung cancer as recommended. “We have been collaborating with the Ministry of Labor to investigate the risks of respiratory disease among workers who have been reported to the registry,” Dr. DeBono explained.
Another project, led by Dr. Paul Demers, will update national statistics on occupational lung cancer and its costs, providing new estimates for 2026 and identifying the substances most responsible for these cancers. “All cancers caused by workplace exposures are preventable,” Dr. Demers stated in the CCS release.
The grants also support research into the risks faced by healthcare workers who handle anti-cancer drugs. Dr. Edmonds noted that while clinical trials focus on patient safety, “we're not really understanding so much about what risks the people administering the drugs are being exposed to.”
A fourth project, led by Dr. Cheryl Peters at the BC Centre for Disease Control, will examine skin cancer rates among outdoor workers, a group known to be at higher risk due to sun exposure. The research aims to provide evidence that can guide prevention efforts and policy changes.
Aiming for safer workplaces nationwide
The CCS Workplace Cancer Research Grants are part of a broader effort to make Canadian workplaces safer. “These grants will help us understand how and why these cancers occur so that we can amplify our efforts to better prevent, detect and treat them – saving lives and keeping workers in Canada safe,” said Dr. Edmonds.
