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National Fine Arts Diseases Database

Hazard Exposures in University/College Fine Arts Departments

Academic staff, instructors, technicians, and students in Fine Arts Departments are often exposed to hazardous substances such as asbestos, silica, chemicals, vapours and dust in the course of their researching, teaching and learning.

Over the past few years, several Fine Arts Departments have discovered cancer clusters among their members. Photography departments have been specifically identified as one of the major areas of concern regarding this, and the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) provided significant documentation on the vast array of chemicals used, the hazards they pose, and the disease outcomes from them.

Safe handling procedures or governing health and safety regulations are often not known or followed. Proper venting should be used when required or needed. It is important and required for anyone being in and around or handling hazardous products, or exposed to vapours, gases, fumes, dust or other by-products to have the appropriate training required by legislation to safeguard themselves, their colleagues, students and the community at large.

What Does This Mean For Academic Staff?

Potential exposure, potentially leading to an occupational disease. If you have been a student or are an academic staff member, learning or working in the Fine Arts, you may have had a high risk of exposure. In recent years, renovations and maintenance upkeep may have increased the risk of exposure as dormant hazardous dust is being disturbed.

Most physicians are not trained in occupational disease, and therefore occupational diseases are often misdiagnosed, which can lead to delayed recognition and treatment.

What Should I Do?

There are several things you can do, beginning with contacting your workplace Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) to ensure that these hazards are identified for action and prevention.
  1. Ensure you have had your Workplace Hazard Materials Information System (WHMIS) training, and all Needs-Specific training for every specific hazard you may be exposed to.
  2. Contact your association JHSC member for assistance with developing hazard identification, legislative requirements on their use, training and exposure prevention.
  3. Ask your JHSC member if the employer is investigating past or present worker exposures.
  4. Document where and when you have worked (department, building, university), and if you remember any potential exposures.
  5. Take the “Dear Dr.” letter from CAUT to your family physician, and ensure that they keep it in your file for reference during annual exams, or other visits.
  6. Have your association contact CAUT and request assistance with advice or training for your membership.
  7. Participate in CAUT’s National Fine Arts Diseases Database.
CAUT’s National Fine Arts Diseases Database

CAUT’s Health and Safety Department is constructing a national database to capture illness and mortality rates of CAUT Association memberships in regards to hazard exposures and disease development in Fine Arts Departments.

There is no central database which gathers these statistics for university and college faculty in Canada. Without a collection point, there are only occasional anecdotal reports, which do not reflect past rates of illness and fatalities.

It is critical that we begin trying to compile this database now, while those affected or their living relatives are still able to donate information to this project. It is also vital that we set the groundwork in anticipation of disease latency for those who have had a significant time-line of exposure.

This advance work will give CAUT and its member association’s time to develop strategies and policies on how to deal with this issue as it unfolds. It is anticipated that it will also uncover truer rates of past illness and mortality rates.

This database would compile known and future statistics to provide data for the following purposes:

1. Assisting JHSC’s in the development of safer workplace practices
2. Potential Workers Compensation (WCB) claims for members and their families
3. Collective Bargaining and Safety Grievances
4. Association Professional Officers in assisting with sick leave and work accommodation programs

A form has been developed to assist with the data gathering aspect. All information will be confidential and each affected association member or their affected family member will be assigned a number to ensure privacy.

It is vital that faculty members participate in this program, as these statistics will not only be beneficial for the above-mentioned purposes, but will also assist individuals with receiving timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

This form should be returned to CAUT’s Occupational Health & Safety Department at 2705 Queensview Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8K2.

Please contact Laura Lozanski for further information or call 613-820-2270.