2 Cases Highlight Work Illnesses

Two recently decided cases in Canada and the U.S. have highlighted the
dangers of occupational illnesses.

An Ottawa waitress was awarded workers’ compensation benefits for lung
cancer that was caused by second-hand cigarette smoke. In an interview
on CBC-TV, Heather Crowe said she has never smoked a day in her life, but has worked for 40 years in smoky bars and restaurants.

A firefighter and paramedic in Akron, Ohio, recently won workers’ compensation benefits for AIDS. Stephen Derrig, 35, does not know when
or how he was exposed to the disease, but is adamant that it could only
have happened through his job, reported the Beacon Journal. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23,473 health care
workers have developed AIDS, of whom 453 are paramedics.

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