Diesel Exposure in Workplaces

Exploring Assessment and Control Strategies for Diesel Exhaust Exposure Five percent of Canada’s working population is exposed to cancer-causing diesel engine exhaust (DEE) at work, according to CAREX Canada. Here in Ontario, more than 300,000 workers are exposed.  A recent report concluded these exposures cause 170 lung and 45 bladder cancers in workers annually. This same report also highlighted a significant regulatory gap in Ontario citing a complete lack of occupational exposure limits (OEL) for whole diesel exhaust or diesel particulate matter. And although Ontario just closed public consultations on a proposed OEL for diesel, the level the Ministry of Labour is proposing falls well short of what scientists believe is needed to protect exposed workers. The Ministry proposes an OEL of 160 µg/m3 for diesel particulate matter (DPM) measured as total carbon; while the globally-recognized Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) recommends lowering the OEL to 20 µg/m3 (elemental carbon) for the mining industry and 5 µg/m3 (elemental carbon) for all other workplaces. This webinar conveys the importance of recognizing DEE as a workplace hazard, who is exposed, specific ways to assess exposure, along with measures to eliminate or reduce occupational exposure. Other issues to be discussed include regulations and guidelines here in Canada and around the world.

This webinar is presented in partnership with CAREX Canada, the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) and Ontario’s Occupational Disease Action Plan (ODAP) Working Group on Diesel Exhaust. Photo attribution: By Ruben de Rijcke [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons