Workers must be actively engaged in health monitoring

Workers have to play a role in informing their physicians when they are diagnosed with what could be a workplace-related illness.

“Don’t assume that a doctor will know that a painter was dealing with work environments beyond just paint, (he may not realize) that there were other trades working in close proximity,” said James Ledlie, attorney with Motley Rice LLC, at the recent 55th annual convention of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario.

It is estimated that over 500 Canadians are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. During his speech at the recent second annual Asbestos Symposium, Dr. Paul Demers, director of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre, noted that based on epidemiologic studies, estimates are that 1,300 to 2,100 asbestos-related cancers are diagnosed across Canada per year.

“As much as we saw a rise in the number of mesothelioma and lung cancer diagnoses, we have seen an increase in a number of mesothelioma, lung cancer and other cancers which have been compensated by the workers’ comp system,” said Ledlie.

Though there has been a rise in claims, the final report of “The Occupational Cancer Research and Surveillance Project”, a joint venture between Cancer Care Ontario and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), indicated that 75 per cent of Ontario’s workforce is covered by the WSIB, but only about 38 per cent of the mesothelioma victims in the province are actually applying to the benefits they are entitled to. Of those that are applying for workers’ compensation, almost 90 per cent of those claims are accepted.

“So, why don’t we see more claims being brought and why don’t we see more claims being accepted?” asked Ledlie.

He pointed out that is asking patients to think back 30 or 40 years to try and remember what they were working around that might have caused that illness.

“As the years go on, memories fade and there may not be recognition of the fact that what’s causing the health ailment was actually related to work, which is why we need to continue to educate our memberships on the fact that asbestos does not respect the trade classes,” said Ledlie.

“When a member might go into his physician and be diagnosed with lung cancer, the physician’s focus is going to be on treating that disease. What is the best treatment protocol? What should we do? He may not worry himself at that juncture with figuring out what was this person’s work history? What caused this illness?”

He told the Building Trades delegates that it’s important to tell members that they have to play a role in informing their physicians about exactly what kind of work they performed as a job title may not full indicate the kind of environment tradespeople are working in.

It’s important not to assume that a doctor understands what the conditions were like on an industrial construction site in the 1960s and 1970s, he said. Asbestos is an area of special concern as it was heavily used in construction projects in the past.

In order to relate a disease to an occupational exposure, a worker usually needs medical evidence that a person’s work played a substantial role in causing the illness.

It is imperative to keep asbestos exposure in mind.

“As the use of asbestos peaked in the 1970s, we are now just seeing, hopefully, the peak of the asbestos related disease following that usage. It is still an ongoing concern,” said Ledlie. “It is a growing concern and it is something still very much something that is a problem of today, not just a problem of the past.”