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.
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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.
Prevention really has to happen at the workplace level.
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