Asbestos, spying and the CANADIAN connection

This week in Geneva, delegates to a conference of the parties to the Rotterdam Convention are again discussing whether chrysotile asbestos should be put on the list of hazardous substances.

One hot topic is sure to be Canada, which until 2012 was a major exporter of chrysotile — the most common form of asbestos — and opposed its inclusion on the hazardous list. However, Ottawa has recently and dramatically changed its tune.

“Irrefutable evidence has led us to take concrete action to swiftly ban asbestos and to support the listing of chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention,” Science Minister Kirsty Duncan said in an April 21 statement, before the conference began.

The listing of asbestos would mean countries that export it would have to get prior informed consent from importing countries, which could block imports.

But perhaps an even hotter topic at the conference is the case of Robert Moore, who is being sued in Britain on allegations he spied on members of the anti-asbestos movement for four years.

Moore attended the last meeting of the Rotterdam Convention, in 2015, under false pretences. As his case unfolds in the High Court of Justice in London, details about who he might have been working for are coming to light. And there is a curious Canadian connection. asbestos, including chrysotile, causes several forms of cancer and other deadly illnesses. More than 50 countries have banned all forms of asbestos.

Still, the asbestos industry has found new markets in developing countries, particularly in Asia.

The World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 workers die from asbestos exposure every year. It is the top cause of workplace-related deaths in Canada.

The industry likes to stress that other forms of asbestos are more dangerous than chrysotile. It says 95 per cent of the asbestos sold in the past century was chrysotile, and it is the only form of asbestos that has been traded in the past 30 years.

At every Rotterdam Convention conference since 2006, a small number of countries that mine and sell the fibre — such as Russia, Kazakhstan and, until recently, Canada — have objected to its listing or lobbied behind the scenes to get other countries to object.

Because the Rotterdam Convention works by consensus, any country that is party to it and doesn’t want a substance listed has, in effect, a veto.

Health Minister Jane Philpott made Canada’s new position clear a few days before the start of the April 24 to May 5 conference: “Breathing in asbestos fibres is known to cause cancer and other devastating illnesses. The government of Canada is committed to reducing exposure to asbestos, and that’s why we are developing regulations to ban asbestos, as well as supporting the listing of chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention.”

For its part, the ICA’s position paper states that if chrysotile is placed on the Prior Informed Consent list, it will cause chrysotile to be “blacklisted” and to “experience discrimination in international trade up to ban of import.”

“Any country could just refuse to import a substance or demand additional requirements” such as additional insurance or packing, the documents states, which would increase prices.

“Exporters will face declining volumes of shipments on international markets because of these restrictions.” This is, of course, what the anti-asbestos movement hopes will happen.

However, observers predict Russia and Kazakhstan will likely succeed in breaking consensus again.

A coalition of African countries has filed a motion to change the rules so that a substance could be listed with the support of 75 per cent of nations party to the convention, if consensus is not reached.

Ruff said the amendment is controversial and not a shoo-in to pass, but it might be the only hope for using the Rotterdam Convention to protect people in developing countries from the ravages of asbestos exposure.

Still, for those who want to see an end to asbestos use, these developments are good news. The U.K. court case alleging dirty tactics by the industry, coupled with Canada’s newly tough stance, won’t help the global chrysotile trade.