CAREX Canada, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.
Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Canada.
Can J Public Health. 2020 Feb;111(1):125-133. doi: 10.17269/s41997-019-00252-x. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a known lung carcinogen that is also associated with cardiovascular disease and premature death. An important source of exposure to SHS is the workplace. In the past, efforts have been made to reduce workplace SHS exposure across Canada, with corresponding benefits to public health. This study estimated the number of workers exposed to SHS in Canada in 2006 and 2016 and their level of exposure.
The proportion of workers exposed to SHS and the proportion of workers reporting specific workplace smoking restrictions by occupation and province, acquired from the 2007-2009 and 2010-2012 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Surveys, were applied to 2006 and 2016 Canadian census data to estimate population-level exposure. Workers were assigned to exposure levels (possible, moderate, high) using workplace smoking restrictions. Only moderately and highly exposed workers were considered exposed.
The number of exposed workers decreased by 20% from 520,000 in 2006 to 418,000 in 2016. Workers were equally split between moderate and high exposure groups. Trades, transport and equipment operators, and workers in primary industry had the highest rates of overall exposure. The proportion of workers exposed varied by province, with the lowest rates in Ontario (approximately 2% in both years), and the highest in Saskatchewan in 2006 (6%) and Newfoundland in 2016 (4%).
Workplace SHS exposure persists. The findings can help prioritize high-risk groups for interventions and inform studies of the burden of occupational disease. Further characterization of exposure is needed to better inform enforcement and prevention.
二手烟（SHS）是一种已知的肺癌致癌物，也与心血管疾病和早逝有关。接触 SHS 的一个重要来源是工作场所。过去，加拿大一直在努力减少工作场所 SHS 暴露，这对公共健康有相应的益处。本研究估计了 2006 年和 2016 年加拿大接触 SHS 的工人数量及其暴露水平。
从 2007-2009 年和 2010-2012 年加拿大烟草使用监测调查中获得的接触 SHS 的工人比例以及报告特定工作场所吸烟限制的工人比例，按职业和省份应用于 2006 年和 2016 年加拿大人口普查数据，以估计人群水平的暴露情况。工人根据工作场所吸烟限制被分配到暴露水平（可能、中度、高度）。只有中度和高度暴露的工人被认为是暴露的。
接触工人的数量从 2006 年的 52 万减少到 2016 年的 41.8 万，减少了 20%。中度和高度暴露工人的比例相等。贸易、运输和设备操作人员以及初级产业工人的总体暴露率最高。暴露工人的比例因省份而异，安大略省的比例最低（两年均约为 2%），萨斯喀彻温省在 2006 年最高（6%），纽芬兰省在 2016 年最高（4%）。
工作场所 SHS 暴露仍然存在。这些发现有助于为干预措施确定高风险群体，并为职业疾病负担的研究提供信息。需要进一步描述暴露情况，以便更好地为执法和预防提供信息。
