After years of firefighter unions lobbying to have the CNESST, Quebec’s health and safety board, recognize more cancer cases linked to their work, the province plans to add six more to the list of suspected cancers.
Under the proposed amendment, leukemia, brain, testicular, esophageal, colorectal and breast cancer would be added, eliminating the need for firefighters to prove the disease is work-related.
In the past, if a firefighter became ill with a form of cancer that was not on the list, it was up to him to prove that it was directly related to his work.
In an interview with CBC News, Labor Minister Jean Boulet said he has heard from many firefighters who have faced long delays in getting the compensation they deserve.
“It has become a priority for me,” said Boulet, who added that he was proud to remove this burden. “I am very happy, not only for the firefighters, but also for their families.”
The CNESST estimates that these changes will help dozens of firefighters each year receive compensation.
Boulet said the work is not yet finished.
“We will continue to improve the situation,” Boulet said. “It is still my intention to add new cancers.”
Quebec recognizes the fewest cancer cases
The CNESST currently recognizes this nine cancers directly related to firefighting – the fewest in all of Canada.
By comparison, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia recognize between 18 and 20 types of workplace-related cancers for firefighters.
The change, which is expected to take place place by March 2025 would bring the number in Quebec to 15. It’s not parity, but it would represent the vast majority of cancers firefighters are diagnosed with, said Chris Ross, president of the Montreal Firefighters Association, which has called for the list to be expanded for more than a year. decade.
He was happy that the Minister of Labor had taken this step.
“Fires don’t burn differently in Quebec,” Ross said. “We have the exact same cancer risks as any firefighter and there was absolutely no reason why a Quebec firefighter should be considered a second-class firefighter.”
This year alone, eight firefighters in Montreal have died from cancer recognized by the CNESST as work-related, Ross said.
In the past four years, 44 firefighters have died.
“Most cancers diagnosed in Montreal firefighters are ultimately fatal,” says Ross. “So the most important thing is that the firefighter’s family is taken care of: the widow, the children.”
According to Health CanadaFirefighters have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer compared to the general public.
Montreal firefighter Gabriel Thibert was diagnosed in February with stage 4 glioblastoma, a fast-growing and aggressive form of brain cancer.
Last spring, his colleagues started a fundraising campaign in his name for the MUHC Foundation to promote research.
The publicity surrounding the father-of-two’s story caused his name to come up a few times in the National Assembly.
His cancer will now be listed by the CNESST.
“I’m a little proud of that,” Thibert said. “I’m very happy that it turned out to be fruitful.”
He said it was “about time” Quebec added more cancers to the fire service’s suspected cancer list, especially after other provinces have recognized many more cancers for years.
He believes this compensation will take the stress off other firefighters and their families if they become ill.
“It’s satisfying to see the human side win,” Thibert said.
Better prevention needed
Firefighters are routinely exposed to potential carcinogens. When a building burns, the smoke can contain wood, plastic, asbestos and other chemical byproducts such as benzene and formaldehyde, says Paul Demers, director of the Occupational Cancer Research Center in Toronto.
Even diesel exhaust from fire trucks in the garage and some foams used in firefighting can expose firefighters to cancer risks, Demers said.
“I think the most common thing to think about is breathing in the smoke,” he said. “But the fact is that many of these chemicals can also penetrate the skin and accumulate on the outside of firefighting equipment.”
In recent years, Demers said a lot of research has been done on the best way to disinfect equipment. Even during that process, chemicals can end up on firefighters’ skin.
Municipal firefighters usually have proper breathing apparatus, but that is not necessarily the case for those working on wildfires. It’s also a challenge because they often sleep in camps, which can expose them to chemicals for longer periods of time than municipal firefighters.
Demers said the focus on prevention is very important because by the time a firefighter is diagnosed, it is very late.
“Some of these cancers are very deadly,” Demers says. “You don’t want people to get them in the first place.”
With the CNESST recognizing these cancers, Ross also hopes there will be a stronger commitment to improved prevention. That includes early cancer screening, better equipment and disinfection measures.
“But the sad reality is that prevention with any employer, whether it’s the city of Montreal or a private employer, is very expensive,” Ross said.