2021 Grants Program strategic initiative: Occupational exposure to vapours, gases, dusts and fumes and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Systematic review)

The WSIB is interested in awarding a grant for a systematic review of the scientific evidence examining if occupational exposure to vapours, gases, dusts and fumes causes the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Outcomes from the systematic review may be considered by the WSIB to determine whether the scientific evidence meets the recommended standards for scheduling, policy development or to underpin adjudicative support in case-by-case decision-making.

Specifically, the review must address:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Occupational exposure to vapours, gases, dusts and fumes, such as
• Occupations with vapours, gases, dusts and fumes exposure including hard rock miners, coal miners, cement manufacturing, aluminum smelting and refining, cadmium alloy production, asbestos workers, foundry workers, and welders,
• Occupational vapours, gases, dusts and fumes exposures including silica, asbestos, cement dust, coal dust, cadmium dust and fumes, foundry exposure, aluminum smelting and refining, welding fumes and dust, smelting involving the production of sulphur dioxide
• Any other occupations with known vapours, gases, dusts and fumes exposures (e.g., agricultural workers) or occupational vapours, gases, dusts and fumes exposures (e.g., organic dusts) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, not mentioned above.
• Identification of
• subgroups of exposed workers who have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• any exposure-response trends of increasing risk with increasing duration, frequency or intensity of exposure, including whether there is a minimum cumulative dose of exposure associated with increased risk
• minimal interval (latency) between the first exposure and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• any interdependent causes or synergistic relationships with other risk factors