Risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a large cohort of Ontario, Canada workers

Abstract Although several occupational exposures have been linked to the risk of COPD; limited data exists on sex-specific differences. This study aimed to identify at-risk occupations and sex differences for COPD risk. Cases were identified in a large surveillance system established through the linkage of former compensation claimants’ data (non-COPD claims) to physician visits, ambulatory care data, and hospital inpatient data (1983–2020). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for occupation groups (occupation at time of claim), stratified by sex. HRs were indirectly adjusted for cigarette smoking using another population dataset. A total of 29,445 male and 14,693 female incident cases of COPD were identified. Increased risks were observed in both sexes for construction (HR male 1.15, 95% CI 1.12–1.19; HR female 1.54, 95% CI 1.29–1.83) transport/equipment operating (HR male 1.32, 95% CI 1.28–1.37; HR female 1.53, 95% CI 1.40–1.68) farming (HR male 1.23, 95% CI 1.15–1.32; HR female 1.19, 95% CI 1.04–1.37) and janitors/cleaners (HR male 1.31, 95% CI 1.24–1.37; HR female 1.40, 95% CI 1.31–1.49). Increased risks were observed for females employed as chefs and cooks (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.31–1.58), bartenders (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.05–1.81), and those working in food/beverage preparation (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.24–1.45) among other occupations. This study demonstrates elevated risk of COPD among both male and female workers potentially exposed to vapours, gases, dusts, and fumes, highlighting the need for occupational surveillance of COPD.