Study evaluates cancer risks for nickel miners

A McMaster University study has shown that certain workers in Ontario’s nickel mines and mills are more likely to contract various respiratory-tract cancers than the rest of the population.

The United Steelworkers of Canada union was instrumental in initiating the study, which followed 66,100 workers who were (and, in some cases, still are) employed by Inco and Falconbridge since 1940. Health records from 1964 to 1989 were examined.

Steelworkers spokesman Wayne Fraser says the report confirms that “due to workplace exposure, several groups of Inco employees are more susceptible to contracting cancers than the general Ontario population. And it shows that the more exposure you have, the greater your risk.”

Reporting from his union’s recent talks on the study, held in Winnipeg, Man., Fraser said the union believes oil mist and diesel fumes from mining equipment are to blame for the high incidence of cancer among Inco and Falconbridge workers in Sudbury, Ont., and not the rock dust known to cause silicosis in the poorly ventilated mines of the past. He told The Northern Miner that workers at other Canadian mines are probably at similar risk, because “this isn’t just about nickel.”

The union will be meeting shortly with a team of epidemiologists and subsequently releasing its official report on the McMaster study.

Fraser said the Steelworkers would like to see a reduction in the level of harmful emissions emanating from the products of equipment manufacturers. He added that, wherever possible, Inco and Falconbridge would be well-advised to switch to electrical equipment from diesel.

Historically, many claims have been filed with the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) by employees at Falconbridge and Inco, and these workers (or, in some cases, their surviving family members) maintained that their work caused them to contract cancer. Compensation has often been denied in such cases, owing to the distinct possibility that tobacco use was the cause of the cancer. In the wake of the study, however, Fraser expects to see more claims and better results. “The companies need to accept their responsibilities with respect to recognizing that the workplace has caused these cancers. They should assist us in convincing the WCB to allow these claims.” “I think it’s far, far too early to speak about [claims],” Inco spokesman Jerry Rogers says. “[Inco and Falconbridge’s operations] are an absolutely safe place to work.” Nevertheless, he said, “we take this report very seriously.”

Rogers added that the study results deserve careful scientific and medical scrutiny before any unambiguous conclusions can be made. Inco officials will also be meeting with Steelworkers representatives in coming weeks to discuss the study findings.

“Our history has shown that whenever there have been any hazardous or unsafe working conditions, we took immediate action to find out the cause and rectify it.”