Canada Considers Re-opening Asbestos Mine Despite Dangers & Protests

Chrysotile Asbestos

The Canadian government is considering re-opening an asbestos mine in order to get new supplies of chrysotile asbestos.  A proposal to convert Jeffrey Mine, an open pit mine that supplied much of the export supply of chrysotile asbestos, into an underground operation is being considered by the government despite global protests and knowledge of the dangers of exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, is well known for its heat, fire and erosion resistant properties.  For almost a century, until the early 1980’s, asbestos was added to thousands of industrial and construction products.  In the early 80’s, many developed countries began imposing bans on the use of asbestos, as well as regulations for management, removal and disposal of asbestos due to its toxic nature.

Asbestos, decades after exposure, causes serious and fatal illnesses, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.  Over a hundred thousand a year worldwide die of an asbestos related disease each year, and it is estimated to be the cause of one third of all occupational cancers.

Canada itself is in the process of removing asbestos from its buildings and products and has a ban on the use of asbestos in most circumstances.  However, Canada continues to export tons of chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, to developing countries, such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea and Japan.

Despite the known risks of exposure and also the knowledge that often developing countries do not provide training or protection of workers using asbestos, the Quebec government is considering providing a loan of just under $60 million as a guarantee of the project to convert and reopen the mine.  Jean Charest, current Premier of Quebec, claims that they would require a guarantee that those receiving the asbestos would follow the rules of “safe use of chrysotile effective in Canada.”

The problem is there is no “safe” level of exposure and there is no way to guarantee that importing countries will use asbestos in a way that protects workers and the general public from exposure.  In fact, the current reality of rising numbers of asbestos related diseases both in Canada and in other countries reveals that indeed importing countries will not protect and even with protections and warnings, deaths are on the rise.

Despite worldwide protests and 40 asbestos victims joint effort of a signed letter lobbying against the re-opening of the Jeffrey mine and continued export of the deadly mineral, Charest and others within Quebec continue to say that chrysotile can be mined and used safely.  Renowned medical and scientific organizations that oppose the move include:

Despite the show of global unity, the Canadian government is still considering the proposal.  One can only hope that the growing awareness and increased joint efforts to educate about the dangers and eradicate the use of asbestos worldwide will be sufficient to prevent the reopening of a mine that basically delivers a fatal poison.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 at 11:39 am and is filed under Asbestos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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More Women Dying from Mesothelioma Despite “Low Level” Exposure

New reports out of the UK are noticing a disturbing new trend among patients who are falling ill and dying from malignant mesothelioma: more and more of them are women.

A recent report in the Daily Mirror’s ongoing “Asbestos Timebomb” campaign revealed that new figures being released about fatality rates connected with mesothelioma have shown an increase in the number of women being affected by the deadly cancer.

According to data released by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, mesothelioma was mentioned as the cause of death for 384 women and 1,865 men in 2008. In 2007, 347 women and 1,826 men were killed by the deadly cancer. In 2005, 289 women and 1,759 men perished.

Because a majority of professions where workers were regularly exposed to asbestos were predominantly held by men during most of the 20th Century, mesothelioma has always been seen among men in much larger numbers than women. Some experts believe the sudden rise in female mesothelioma cases can be tied to female teachers who worked at a number of UK school built in the 1960s and 1970s that contained asbestos and caused “low level” exposure to the fibers.

However, a potentially more worrisome theory that has also been considered is that low level exposure to asbestos – such as exposure a wife would receive from asbestos particles brought into her home that were not properly cleaned off her husband’s work clothes – may also be more dangerous than previously thought.

“We don’t know why the incidence in women is rising. We need further research to determine the risk of low level exposure to asbestos,” John Edwards, a consulting surgeon, told the Mirror. “The increase in males is more steady and the fact that the ratio has changed suggests that the pattern of exposure has changed.”

Further demonstrating the rising number of women being affected by mesothelioma, the Mirror also found data from Cancer Research UK that showed the womens’ death rate from mesothelioma had increased by 57 percent between 1997 and 2007. Comparatively, malignant melanoma death rates increased by 49 percent, uterine cancer by 33 percent, and kidney cancer by 23 over the same time frame.

While the information used by the Mirror is based in the UK, it should nonetheless lead to some discussion regarding a potential rise in mesothelioma rates among women stateside as well.

If you or a loved one are suffering from mesothelioma and undergoing treatment, you may be able to pursue a mesothelioma settlement if a source of asbestos exposure can be found. Contact an asbestos attorney if you would like to pursue a lawsuit against a company or former employer.

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