Canada's Asbestos Shame
It's a real conundrum. Why would the Government of Canada be complicit with the Province of Quebec in furthering plans for the asbestos industry in that province to re-open and re-invest in an old asbestos mine? There are not that many jobs that will result from such a move.
The use of asbestos, even chrysotile asbestos, which its backers insist is perfectly safe, when used properly, is prohibited in Canada. Those who support the mining and export of chrysotile asbestos claim it to be a 'safe' type of asbestos, with guidelines for use that render it without deleterious consequences.
The government itself spares no expense to remove existing asbestos from government buildings to ensure worker safety. Homes that have had asbestos used for insulation purposes must by law reveal the presence of asbestos when a house is put up for sale. Asbestos has been proven unequivocally to be dangerous to human health.
Inhaling asbestos fibres leads directly to mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the internal walls of the lungs. Those who worked in mining and extracting the substance were subjected to the deadly disease, experienced great suffering, culminating in an early death.
Before its lethal nature was known, asbestos was commonly used in vehicle brake linings, to cover plumbing pipes and for a host of other uses. Asbestos use long predated the common era. Its use for a wide variety of purposes was common a thousand years ago.
Medical science has long ago given us reason to shun the dangerous product. That Canada still exports chrysotile asbestos to countries like India where it is mixed with cement in building, used as a fire retardant, and where workers are exposed to it because there are no safety standards in countries with emerging economies, is inexplicable.
And that the widow of a man who had suffered the fatal lung disease as a result of his exposure to it forty years earlier when he was a naval cadet, is now being informed that she will be sued if she does not cease using the Conservative Party logo in her online adds for her anti-asbestos website, is puzzling indeed.
Michaela Keyserlingk has dedicated her efforts to try to put a stop to the export of Canadian asbestos to other countries that still use the material, even though most advanced countries of the world have, like Canada, banned its importation and use. She has a simple request; to hear from someone in authority in the government, giving her a plausible explanation that would explain why the Government of Canada continues to support the mining and export of asbestos.
It's an issue that should concern Canadians. And it's a disgrace that Canada continues to see fit to allow this substance to be exported and shipped abroad where workers who have no protective rights in the workplace will be exposed to it and suffer as a result of their exposure.
The use of asbestos, even chrysotile asbestos, which its backers insist is perfectly safe, when used properly, is prohibited in Canada. Those who support the mining and export of chrysotile asbestos claim it to be a 'safe' type of asbestos, with guidelines for use that render it without deleterious consequences.
The government itself spares no expense to remove existing asbestos from government buildings to ensure worker safety. Homes that have had asbestos used for insulation purposes must by law reveal the presence of asbestos when a house is put up for sale. Asbestos has been proven unequivocally to be dangerous to human health.
Inhaling asbestos fibres leads directly to mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the internal walls of the lungs. Those who worked in mining and extracting the substance were subjected to the deadly disease, experienced great suffering, culminating in an early death.
Before its lethal nature was known, asbestos was commonly used in vehicle brake linings, to cover plumbing pipes and for a host of other uses. Asbestos use long predated the common era. Its use for a wide variety of purposes was common a thousand years ago.
Medical science has long ago given us reason to shun the dangerous product. That Canada still exports chrysotile asbestos to countries like India where it is mixed with cement in building, used as a fire retardant, and where workers are exposed to it because there are no safety standards in countries with emerging economies, is inexplicable.
And that the widow of a man who had suffered the fatal lung disease as a result of his exposure to it forty years earlier when he was a naval cadet, is now being informed that she will be sued if she does not cease using the Conservative Party logo in her online adds for her anti-asbestos website, is puzzling indeed.
Michaela Keyserlingk has dedicated her efforts to try to put a stop to the export of Canadian asbestos to other countries that still use the material, even though most advanced countries of the world have, like Canada, banned its importation and use. She has a simple request; to hear from someone in authority in the government, giving her a plausible explanation that would explain why the Government of Canada continues to support the mining and export of asbestos.
It's an issue that should concern Canadians. And it's a disgrace that Canada continues to see fit to allow this substance to be exported and shipped abroad where workers who have no protective rights in the workplace will be exposed to it and suffer as a result of their exposure.
Labels: Economy, Environment, Government of Canada, Human Rights, Realities
posted by Pieface | 8:14 PM
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