Hamilton fire fighters cancer claims

Fire fighters in Hamilton are filing work-related cancer claims at twice the provincial rate and many are still fighting to get their illness recognized. Toxic fires, like the Plastimet blaze 20 years ago are likely to blame.

Almost 300 Hamilton firefighters worked the Plastimet fire. The factory, larger than a football field was packed with plastics and for over 70 hours firefighters drowned the huge flames. Breathing in the thick harzardous smoke, most of them reported some health effects.

Following the Platimet fire firefighters now have annual health exams, which have caught about 15 cancers and other illnesses. Hamilton firefighters also played a big role in the push for legislation to make it easier for firefighters to claim work related illnesses.

But 10 years after they won the right to compensation, many still aren’t getting it.

“In the last 25 or 30 years we have filed over 300 cancer claims with the WSIB about 25% of those are successful.” Dan Stoli, WSIB rep.

Brad Phillips was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2008. He filed a claim with WSIB and was approved but when doctors went to remove it they found something else.

“Because of our history of firefighter he was able to check my kidneys and he also found kidney cancer.”

But his claim for that cancer was denied. He’d been working as a firefighter for over 17 years when he was diagnosed, just short of the 20 year minimum for kidney cancer to be considered presumptive.

The WSIB rep for the firefighters association says if there is evidence the cancer was work related they file it, but only about 14 types of cancers are now covered. As new cancers are recognized they do go back to re-file old claims.