Ahmed Minhas, December 13, 2024

Building Safer Workplaces: Carleton and WSIB Collaborate on Diesel Engine Exhaust Exposure Study

Paul Villeneuve, a professor in Carleton University’s Department of Neuroscience and an expert in environmental and occupational epidemiology, is leading an extensive study commissioned by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario. The research examines the relationship between occupational exposure to diesel engine exhaust and the risk of developing lung and bladder cancers.

Diesel engine exhaust, widely recognized as a carcinogen, represents a pervasive occupational hazard in industries such as transportation, mining and construction. Villeneuve’s research seeks to determine the extent to which exposure increases cancer risks, how these risks vary with exposure duration or intensity and which types of cancer are most strongly linked to diesel engine exhaust.

“This is not a new study per se but rather a systematic synthesis of existing evidence,” explains Villeneuve. “The WSIB tasked us with evaluating decades of research to provide a clear, updated understanding of diesel engine exhaust’s health impacts. This information will guide their assessment of occupational claims and workplace safety initiatives.”

Villeneuve leads a diverse team of experts from Canadian and international institutions, including the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, based in France. Together, they tackle the challenges of synthesizing 40 years of research by addressing biases, statistical differences and changes in exposure measurement, ensuring an unbiased and comprehensive analysis.

“Over the past decade, the quality of research on diesel engine exhaust exposure has improved significantly,” Villeneuve notes. “New data and refined methods make this the right time for an updated synthesis.”

The findings will help the WSIB better understand the magnitude of cancer risks for workers exposed to diesel engine exhaust, for lung and bladder cancers. They will also provide valuable insights into how different occupations and levels of exposure relate to these risks, offering context for Canadian workplaces.

Through well-aligned industry partnerships like this, Carleton leverages its research strengths to deliver tangible solutions to complex societal challenges. Villeneuve notes that institutions like the WSIB depend on external, independent experts to provide objective analysis that leads to positive change.

“Health Canada, for example, tends to focus on harmful exposures received by the Canadian general population and does not have a mandate to regulate those in the workplace,” Villeneuve explains. “Our role is to bring expertise in occupational epidemiology to deliver the evidence the WSIB needs to make informed decisions.”

The WSIB also underscores the importance of such partnerships: “There is a recognition within the WSIB that partnering with leading institutions and researchers, like Carleton and Dr. Villeneuve, provides a pathway to tackle complex issues with credibility and trust. Additionally, Dr. Villeneuve and his multidisciplinary team of global content experts can bring forward this work through publication and conferences to more stakeholders to improve health and safety in other jurisdictions.”

Through this partnership, Carleton and the WSIB are shaping policies that protect workers and are contributing to safer workplaces across Ontario.

Find out about other Carleton partnerships making an impact.

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