Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024

In celebration of International Women’s Day this March 8th, OCRC would like to spotlight some of our research that focuses on women’s occupational health:

• Exploring sex differences in lung cancer risk among Ontario workers
  • Our study found that several occupations, such as wood processing, metal machining, and motor transport operating, demonstrated stronger associations for lung cancer in females, with at least a 20% increased risk compared to males.
• Occupational exposures among nail technicians
  •  We found that nail salon workers in Toronto (who were mostly women) may be exposed to diverse hazards including chemicals (e.g., the “toxic trio” – formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and toluene), psychosocial risks (i.e., high job strain), and ergonomic hazards.
• The impact of night shift work on breast cancer
  • Based on the Burden of Occupational Cancer study, an estimated 470 to 1200 new female breast cancer cases each year are likely due to night shift work, based on 2011 cancer statistics. Of these, 38% occur among women in health-related occupations.

Looking ahead, OCRC is making strides to examine the risk of various diseases among female workers, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Raynaud’s phenomenon, carpal tunnel syndrome, and opioid-related harms.