Former SaskEnergy worker believes cancer is linked to gas exposure on the job
Brian Hodgkinson always knew there was benzene in natural gas — after all, he spent 40 years working with it for SaskPower, then SaskEnergy.
Hodgkinson, 68, retired from SaskEnergy in 2014. A year later he discovered he had leukemia — blood cancer. Now, Hodgkinson and his wife — also a former SaskEnergy employee — are suing both companies because they think his exposure to gas at work led to his leukemia.
He never thought about the benzene much until his wife approached him six months ago.
“She asked me one day, ‘Is there benzene in natural gas?’ I said, ‘Oh, yeah.’ Well, she says, ‘it’s linked to cancers.’”
His wife Josie started researching the links between benzene exposure and the risk of developing leukemia, she even convinced one research group to share their raw data with her so they could bring it to an occupational medicine specialist in Saskatoon.
The doctor was convinced. In November, he wrote a letter to their family doctor supporting their claim that his leukemia was work-related.
“As I noted in my first letter dated Sept. 27th, benzene is a known (Group 1) carcinogen causing leukemia,” said Dr. Niels Koehncke of the Occupational Medicine Clinic at the University of Saskatchewan.
“I realize we don’t have accurate exposure information for Mr. Hodgkinson specifically during his time with SaskEnergy. Nevertheless, I feel these potential exposure levels, particularly over the course of a working lifetime, represent a risk of developing leukemia and support the work-relatedness of his leukemia.”
Hodgkinson now looks back on his 30 years of fieldwork with new eyes. He says workers were constantly exposed to gas and weren’t given appropriate protective gear.
He says workers were required to perform “sniff tests” to measure odorant in the gas.
“It’s where you go up to the gas meter in the house and you, you sniff natural gas and compare it to a machine.”
When called to the site of a ruptured gas line, he says they worked unprotected, he claims.
“No respirator, no nothing. Just a pair of goggles on.”
In a statement of defence filed in November, both provincial Crown corporations deny any wrongdoing.
They deny Hodgkinson suffered any loss or injury and say — even if he did — it was caused by his own negligence, claiming he failed to follow safety procedures.
Hodgkinson says the procedures weren’t clear.
Workers were trained to use respirators, and a few were available in the office, but staff were never directed when to use them, Hodgkinson said.
Safety consultant Brooks Paisley from Daxx Safety Group in Regina says most companies working around hazardous gases have very clear rules about respirators.
“There are safe work procedures, safe work practices, company rules that are in place as far as PPE, having an assigned respirator that is, you know, tight fitting, and assigned to the end user,” Paisley told CTV News.
Hodgkinson says he knows two other field workers from his Saskatoon office who also have blood cancer, and he can think of many who died in their 50s.
Now, dying at home from leukemia and stomach cancer, he said he feels cheated.
“It seems to me like they feel that the field workers are disposable.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.