The groups calling for the ban on the mineral stand in direct opposition to many government policies, especially those of the provincial government in Quebec. Earlier this month, Quebec Premier Jean Charest visited India, one of the leading importers of Canadian asbestos, to further cement the province’s long-standing relationship with that country’s construction firms and shipbuilders. Canada’s two remaining asbestos mines are also in Quebec and provide the area with hundreds of jobs.
Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis has rejected the notion of a comprehensive asbestos ban, saying that chrysotile, the only type of asbestos produced in and exported from Canada, can be used safely. The Canadian asbestos industry has political power, especially in Quebec. The Chrysotile Institute, formerly known as the Asbestos Institute, is a powerful lobbying organization that promotes the idea that asbestos is safe to handle if workers follow proper precautions. The Institute lobbies Parliament to stymie bans and restrictions on asbestos production within Canada.
Mesothelioma Web is too aware of the negative health effects asbestos has had on tradespeople and military veterans over the past several decades. More than 10,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year. Researchers have established a link between asbestos exposure and lung disease. The nations that import Canadian asbestos, such as India, Bangladesh and Indonesia, often do not require that workers use equipment to protect them from being exposed to toxic levels of the mineral.
Agence France-Press reports that other political leaders have also spoken out against the asbestos lobby. Mike Bradley, mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, said that people in other countries who handle Canadian asbestos will come to have a negative view of the country if Parliament does not enact a ban on the substance. Sarnia is a small industrial city near the US border that has experienced a high rate of lung disease and cancers related to asbestos exposure.
The United States does not ban the use of asbestos, although manufacturers have decreased usage since the health effects became public. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets limits on exposure in the workplace. Despite the efforts of Senator Patty Murray, the Congress has failed to pass a ban on asbestos.
For more on the history of asbestos regulation in the US, see http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/history.htm
