Title: Presumption for selected cancers and occupation as a firefighter in Manitoba: the rationale for recent Canadian legislation on presumption

Authors: Tee L. Guidotti

Addresses: Division of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, 2300 K St., NW, Ste. 201, Washington DC 20037, USA

Abstract: Provinces across Canada are suddenly considering or have already passed legislation establishing a rebuttable presumption for compensation for firefighters who develop certain types of cancer. This movement began in Manitoba and was motivated by appreciation of the role of firefighters in public safety. The evidentiary basis for establishing presumption for these cancers was developed in a report prepared in mid-2002 for the Workers. Compensation Board of Manitoba that evaluated the association of specific types of cancer with firefighting: brain, bladder, kidney, non-Hodgkin|s lymphoma (often referred to as ||lymphatic cancer||) together with myeloma and leukaemia (often referred to as ||haematopoietic cancer||). This paper summarises the report.

Keywords: firefighters; occupational cancer; brain cancer; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; non-Hodgkin|s lymphoma; lymphatic cancer; haematopoietic cancer; epidemiology; latency; presumption; workers| compensation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2003.003526

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2003 Vol.4 No.2/3, pp.245 - 259

Published online: 12 Sep 2003 *

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