Asbestos Ban Controversy
For decades, the Canadian government and the government of Quebec “where the remaining asbestos mines are located “have been financially supporting the Chrysotile Institute (CI), an asbestos lobby group. But in March 2011, Ottawa chose not to allocate funds for CI for the following year, marking the first step in the right direction for asbestos ban supporters. In addition, a federation of 300,000 unionized Quebecers also pulled their funding, and experts believed the asbestos industry was starting to weaken. It turns out they were right. In April 2012, the Institute announced its intention to shut down.
Canada has long resisted a universal ban of asbestos as proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other countries. At the 2008 Rotterdam Convention, Canada, India, Pakistan and a few other countries voted to keep chrysotile asbestos off of a United Nations "watchlist" of dangerous chemicals. After many hours of deliberation, chrysotile asbestos was not added to the watchlist, and Canada continues to be a major exporter of chrysotile asbestos to many countries who do not monitor asbestos exposure or regulate its use.
The Canadian Cancer Society and the International Labour Organization have largely been ignored in their push to ban asbestos in Canada. To date, all 27 European Union countries, Australia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Japan have banned asbestos in their countries. The government of Canada continues to hold out on an asbestos ban, due in part to its $100 million dollar chrysotile asbestos industry.
Regulations on Asbestos Use
The Canadian government did impose some regulations on asbestos use. According to Health Canada, "The sale of pure asbestos and certain high-risk consumer products that are composed of or contain asbestos fibres is strictly regulated under the Hazardous Products Act. In addition, the emissions of asbestos into the environment from mining and milling operations are subject to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act."
Currently, the country is spending billions of dollars to remove asbestos from schools, factories, plants and other commercial buildings.
Until just recently, laws permitted the use of chrysotile asbestos in certain children's toys in Canada, and as recently as 2010, the government was considering the possibility of reopening the open pit Jeffrey Mine in Quebec, which would allow the asbestos exports industry to grow. Proponents claim that the industry promotes safe use of asbestos in the countries to which they sell. Those who oppose the asbestos exports industry claim that most of these countries do not have proper health and safety regulations in place to regulate use of the material.
No one expects Canada to pass an outright ban on asbestos anytime soon. In fact, the country led a successful campaign to block the listing of asbestos as a toxic material on the Prior Informed Consent list at the Rotterdam Convention in 2004 and again in 2008, backed by a number of other countries with an interest in asbestos mining.
For decades, the Canadian government and the government of Quebec “where the remaining asbestos mines are located “have been financially supporting the Chrysotile Institute (CI), an asbestos lobby group. But in March 2011, Ottawa chose not to allocate funds for CI for the following year, marking the first step in the right direction for asbestos ban supporters. In addition, a federation of 300,000 unionized Quebecers also pulled their funding, and experts believed the asbestos industry was starting to weaken. It turns out they were right. In April 2012, the Institute announced its intention to shut down.
Canada has long resisted a universal ban of asbestos as proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other countries. At the 2008 Rotterdam Convention, Canada, India, Pakistan and a few other countries voted to keep chrysotile asbestos off of a United Nations "watchlist" of dangerous chemicals. After many hours of deliberation, chrysotile asbestos was not added to the watchlist, and Canada continues to be a major exporter of chrysotile asbestos to many countries who do not monitor asbestos exposure or regulate its use.
The Canadian Cancer Society and the International Labour Organization have largely been ignored in their push to ban asbestos in Canada. To date, all 27 European Union countries, Australia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Japan have banned asbestos in their countries. The government of Canada continues to hold out on an asbestos ban, due in part to its $100 million dollar chrysotile asbestos industry.
Regulations on Asbestos Use
The Canadian government did impose some regulations on asbestos use. According to Health Canada, "The sale of pure asbestos and certain high-risk consumer products that are composed of or contain asbestos fibres is strictly regulated under the Hazardous Products Act. In addition, the emissions of asbestos into the environment from mining and milling operations are subject to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act."
Currently, the country is spending billions of dollars to remove asbestos from schools, factories, plants and other commercial buildings.
Until just recently, laws permitted the use of chrysotile asbestos in certain children's toys in Canada, and as recently as 2010, the government was considering the possibility of reopening the open pit Jeffrey Mine in Quebec, which would allow the asbestos exports industry to grow. Proponents claim that the industry promotes safe use of asbestos in the countries to which they sell. Those who oppose the asbestos exports industry claim that most of these countries do not have proper health and safety regulations in place to regulate use of the material.
No one expects Canada to pass an outright ban on asbestos anytime soon. In fact, the country led a successful campaign to block the listing of asbestos as a toxic material on the Prior Informed Consent list at the Rotterdam Convention in 2004 and again in 2008, backed by a number of other countries with an interest in asbestos mining.
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