For years, Canada was criticized for the unconscionable practice of exporting asbestos, a deadly carcinogen, to developing countries. A decade later, Canada no longer exports asbestos, thanks to the closure of the last mine in Quebec for economic reasons in 2011. But Canada now imports increasing volumes of products made from asbestos.
The most recent data from Statistics Canada indicate that Canada imported more than $6 million worth of asbestos products in 2014, primarily for replacement brake pads and construction. Some unsuspecting Canadians, particularly auto mechanics and construction workers, will develop mesothelioma or other devastating diseases as a result.
The World Health Organization recommends the complete elimination of all uses of all types of asbestos fibres and asbestos products due to the risk of asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. In the words of the WHO, “the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop using all types of asbestos.” Medical experts, including the Canadian Medical Association, agree that there is no such thing as safe use of this hazardous substance.
Despite spending millions to remove asbestos from the Parliament buildings, the federal government still uses asbestos materials in the construction of new buildings.
Such blind disregard for the health and wellbeing of construction workers and building occupants would be illegal in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and more than 50 other nations (including the entire European Union). These countries followed the WHO’s advice and banned all uses of asbestos.
Canada, in contrast, continues to permit the mining, import, export and use of asbestos despite the fact that asbestos is the leading cause of death in Canada from occupational hazards. There were 560 new cases and 467 deaths in 2012 from mesothelioma alone, and many more cases of asbestosis and lung cancer.
As recently as 2011, Canada was among the world’s largest exporters of asbestos, selling this hazardous substance primarily to developing countries. Canada also spent many years opposing the listing of chrysotile asbestos pursuant to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. Largely due to Canadian opposition, that treaty still does not cover chrysotile asbestos.
There are effective and economical substitutes for all uses of asbestos.
The steps required to rid Canada of the threat posed by asbestos are simple. One option would be to enact a new law banning all exports, imports and uses of this hazardous substance. The advantage would be the clear signal to Canadians, while the downside is the time involved. A quicker route would involve the federal health and environment ministers using existing regulatory tools under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
Canada should also make clear its position as a party to the Rotterdam Convention that we support the scientific consensus: All forms of asbestos pose unacceptably high risks to human health and should therefore be covered by that international law.
It is time to close the door on asbestos for good. The more quickly we act, the more lives we will save.
David R. Boyd is an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and the author of Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Law and Policies.