Workers Health & Safety Centre

CAREX and CELA to host webinar on carcinogen exposures

WHMIS Hazard Symbol: Health Hazard
CAREX Canada and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) will host a webinar to discuss how carcinogen exposure estimates have and can be used in legal and advocacy work.
 
The webinar will take place Wednesday June 10th at 12:00 p.m. and will be hosted by Cheryl Peters, CAREX Canada’s Occupational Exposures Team Lead. Peters will provide a broad overview about CAREX, how the exposure estimates were generated, and how users can conduct custom queries of these estimates.
 
CAREX (Carcinogen Exposure) Canada is a  national surveillance project that estimates which known and suspected carcinogens Canadians are exposed to, where in Canada such exposures may occur, and which substances pose the greatest hazard in workplaces and communities. The ultimate goal of the project is to inform efforts to reduce these exposures and thereby help to prevent cancer.
 
CAREX Canada’s estimates have helped occupational health advocates to better understand how a worker in a particular industry, such as agriculture or printing, might be exposed to carcinogens on the job. The team has also supported legal staff in investigating workers’ compensation claims related to asbestos exposure. Most recently, CAREX has worked with the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) on their review of policy and law around radon exposure in Canadian homes and workplaces.
 
Following the presentation, there will be a panel discussion about using CAREX estimates in legal and advocacy work, where panel members will discuss ways that CAREX has been used and could be used in future. This discussion could lead to further webinars on more specific topics, and new partnerships or project ideas.
 
Those who should attend include lawyers with an interest in environmental and occupational exposures, advocates for environmental/occupational disease sufferers, environmental NGO staff and researchers.
 
The panel members include the following:
  • Alex Farquhar, Director, Office of the Worker Adviser, Ontario Ministry of Labour;
  • Anya Keefe, Occupational & Public Health Consultant (former Director of WorkSafeBC’s Research Secretariat);
  • Ramani Nadarajah, Legal Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association.

CELA is a legal clinic that has partnered with the worker community around a host of occupational and environmental exposures. CELA also participates along with the Workers Health & Safety Centre (WHSC) on Toronto’s Occupational and Environmental Carcinogens Working Group.
 
Registration is required to attend this event.
 
Want to register for the CAREX Canada and CELA webinar?
 
Want to know more about Toronto’s Occupational and Environmental Working Group?
 
For our part WHSC offers several training and information resources aimed at helping workplace parties prevent exposures to a number of cancer-causing materials.
 
To learn more:
Visit:   www.whsc.on.ca 
Email: contactus@whsc.on.ca or
Call:    1-888-869-7950 and ask to speak to a training services representative.