Workers in the construction sector face a number of cancer-related risks. The Canadian Cancer Society is funding research aimed at improving better workplace awareness and helping with prevention efforts. (Photo: Patrick Hatt / iStock / via Getty Images)
The average worker in Canada spends one-fifth of their time at work and for many, especially those in the construction sector, this comes with unavoidable exposure to health risks that can affect their likelihood of developing cancer.
To better understand some of these risk factors, explore how Canadians navigate screening, and what the costs are to workers and healthcare systems, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and a list of partners are funding four new research projects to create safer workplaces. With almost $800,000 in funding, the current round of CCS Workplace Cancer Research Grants brings researchers together with support from labour unions and workers’ compensation boards to study the risks of common occupational cancers and explore better prevention strategies.
The grants support top Canadian research into lung cancer prevention for construction workers, how common work-related lung and skin cancers are across industries, what those cancers cost individuals and healthcare systems, as well as the health effects of working with anticancer drugs.
The CCS says this round of new grants are inspired by the success of the previous round, which supported seven projects studying a wide range of work environments and cancer types.
“Each year, about 10,000 Canadian workers are diagnosed with occupational cancers,” explained Stuart Edmonds, executive vice-president, Mission, Research and Advocacy at CCS. “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.”
CCS collaborated closely with labour unions and workers’ compensation boards to develop the Workplace Cancer Research Grants program to ensure that workers in different industries and regions across Canada are represented, and that CCS-funded research targets high-priority areas. The four projects funded in 2025 cover a range of workplaces and cancer types.
Lung cancer among construction workers
People who work in building repair or renovation may be exposed to asbestos, which can cause lung cancer. Although some workers with high exposure are notified of the need for a medical exam, it’s unclear how many actually undergo lung cancer screening or how their health compares to that of other construction workers. Ontario Health grant recipient Dr. Nathan DeBono and his team will analyze existing information to find ways of improving cancer prevention and screening for this at-risk group.
“It’s time to get serious about lung cancer prevention in workers exposed to asbestos in the construction industry,” stated DeBono. “This funding is invaluable for generating the evidence needed to take action.”
Understanding occupational lung cancer
A 2012 study showed that over 4,000 lung cancer cases in Canada each year were linked to the workplace, but that study is now out of date. That’s why another grant recipient, Dr. Paul Demers, and his team at Ontario Health are studying the latest statistics to estimate how many work-related lung cancers are likely to arise in 2026, what substances may cause them, and how much these cancers cost workers and healthcare systems. They hope this new information will pave the way to better workplace awareness and prevention efforts.
“All cancers caused by workplace exposures are preventable,” explained Demers. “Making people aware of the impact of carcinogens in the workplace is an essential first step.”
Skin cancer and the workplace
Outdoor workers are about three times as likely to develop skin cancer as indoor workers, but few provinces track these cancers. Those that do usually record only the first diagnosis even though these cancers often come back. Grant recipient Dr. Cheryl Peters and her BC Centre for Disease Control team are using existing data and medical records to estimate the rates and costs of skin cancers caused by workplace sun exposure. Their goal is to guide national efforts to reduce sun exposure and prevent future cases.
“This important study will not only improve our understanding of a major cause of work-related cancer in Canada, but also develop a way of counting these skin cancers that could be used across Canada,” said Peters. “The findings will also be used to develop and enhance actions to reduce sun exposure in workplace settings.”
Working with anti-cancer drugs
Cancer drugs can be toxic to healthy cells, which means that even healthy individuals who come into contact with them may face risks of cancer or other serious health effects. Dr. Hugh Davies, one of this year’s grant recipients, is leading a team at the University of British Columbia to study how much contact healthcare workers have with these drugs in different environments to better understand the risk of exposure and help make workplaces safer for healthcare professionals.
“It is critical to understand more about these ‘occupational cancers,’” said Davies. “Our study will look at a population who are at risk of cancer and other disease by handling the very drugs that are used to prevent cancer. In doing so, we hope to develop a new test that will have broader implications for tracing exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.”
The list of partners supporting the grants is extensive, but includes:
- Canadian Labour Congress
- Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
- Canadian Union of Public Employees
- International Union of Operating Engineers
- Labourers International Union of North America
- National Union of Public and General Employees
- Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association
- UNIFOR
- Union of Taxation Employees – Public Service Alliance of Canada
- United Food and Commercial Workers Union
- United Steelworkers
- WorkSafe BC
- WorkSafe Saskatchewan
- WSIB Ontario
- Worker’s Safety and Compensation Board Yukon
To learn more about the grants and projects, visit cancer.ca.
