Anti- asbestos activists stated that Canadian ambassadors and politicians lobbied to prevent the United Sates from banning asbestos, according to the Globe and Mail.
The carcinogen is known to cause a number of lung diseases which includes mesothelioma, an aggressive and fatal cancer. Asbestos victims along with mesothelioma attorneys, health officials and environmental activist have fought for years to have the material completely banned in the United States. Presently, asbestos is heavily regulated but not completely banned.
Mesothelioma lawyers have been critical in assuring that victims of asbestos exposure are justly compensated for the pain and suffering caused by the carcinogen.
Laurie Kazan-Allen of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat based in Great Britain obtained documents from the Environmental Protection Agency that showed former Canadian Prime Minister David Mulroney lobbied US president Ronald Reagan when asbestos was about to be banned. Other bureaucrats and ambassadors also lobbied both the EPA and the president while an asbestos ban was being considered.
In press conference on Tuesday, Kazan said, “as a consequence of the legal and political actions mounted by Canadian interest, a further 300,000 tons of Canadian asbestos was used in the United States and vast amounts of asbestos-containing products were incorporated into the United States infrastructure,” as reported by the Globe and Mail.
Workers, who have contracted asbestos related diseases, were often unknowingly exposed to the toxin, and have utilized the expertise of mesothelioma attorneys to hold the businesses responsible for failing to inform them of the hazards posed by exposure.
