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Worker deaths from asbestos exposure rising

Oct 10, 2007 | Associated Press | Yahoo News

Canada's largest union is concerned that the number of deaths from work-related exposure to asbestos is on the rise, and is continuing to campaign for a ban on its use and production.

Jim Brophy, director of CAW's Occupational Health and Safety Clinics for Ontario Workers, said the union receives calls almost every day from workers regarding some type of asbestos-related health problem.

He added that the frequency of calls to the Canadian Auto Workers Union is higher this year than in each of the last three years. Brophy said the number of worker deaths from asbestos exposure is expected to peak in the next decade.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that's used for many industrial purposes around the world, and can be found in ceilings, walls and pipes. There are several types, but the most common asbestos is chrysotile.

It becomes a health hazard when the asbestos fibres are inhaled and become lodged in the body, increasing the chance of developing diseases, such as mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of the lungs.

The CAW fears mesothelioma will soar in coming years. Yet in Canada, there is no one keeping track, Brophy said.

"We're probably alone among the industrialized countries in not documenting the extent of the disease and its impact on our society," Brophy said.

Canada, which first began mining asbestos in 1879, continues to mine the mineral in Quebec and exports it to many developing countries, where it's used to make cement pipes and roofing tiles.

Ottawa and Quebec City spend millions on trade promotion through the Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute, run by the non-profit organization's president, Clément Godbout.

While Godbout said asbestos used properly is not deadly, he avoided calling it safe.

"I don't think we say it that way, but chrysotile is certainly [a] safer [type of asbestos]," he said.

Retired electrician Bob Blakey, who worked around asbestos for 40 years in Sarnia, Ont., and watched five of his co-workers die from mesothelioma, disagrees, and supports CAW's campaign to get the government to ban asbestos use and production.

"Every other country is trying to ban it," he said. "European countries have got bans on it and Canada is out there pushing this product like a dope dealer ... I think it's criminal."