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Trends and characteristics of compensated occupational cancer in Ontario, Canada, 1937–2003
Author(s) -
Pichora Erin C.,
Payne Jennifer I.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20530
Subject(s) - occupational cancer , medicine , workers' compensation , adjudication , environmental health , indemnity , demographics , cancer , occupational safety and health , compensation (psychology) , occupational medicine , occupational exposure , gerontology , demography , family medicine , actuarial science , law , business , psychology , pathology , sociology , political science , psychoanalysis
Background In Canada, administrative databases maintained by provincial workers' compensation boards are often the best or the only available data source for describing trends and characteristics of occupational cancer. In Ontario, approximately 75% of the labor force is covered by the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and allowed cancer claims date back to 1937. Methods The purpose of this study was to describe WSIB‐allowed cancer claims by worker demographics, claim characteristics, year of filing, cancer type, and work exposure measures including workplace agent, occupation and industry. Results In total, claims were filed and compensated for one or more malignant neoplasms by, or on behalf of, 3,126 workers between 1937 and 2003. Conclusions Results show trends in cancer compensation reflecting changes in the characteristics and prevalence of workers exposed to workplace carcinogens, as well as changes to WSIB adjudication policies over time. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:980–981, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.