Ban toxic asbestos

The about-face was clumsy and long overdue, but welcome. The Canadian government has finally admitted there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.

Some 55 countries — from Britain to Brunei — have banned the toxic material. In the United States, no one dares use asbestos because so many lawsuits have been filed against its producers and retailers. The Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Environmental Law Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Public Health Association and a long list of scientists have been urging Ottawa for years to prohibit the product, whose deadly fibres can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis and cancer of the larynx and ovary.

This summer, with an election approaching, the federal Conservatives quietly changed Health Canada’s website. It no longer says that chrysotile, one of the fibres used in asbestos, is less potent than others. (Chrysotile was mined in Quebec from 1879 to 2011.) Nor does it say asbestos is dangerous when inhaled in “significant quantities.” It simply says: “Asbestos, if inhaled, can cause cancer and other diseases.”

Health Minister Rona Ambrose downplayed the adjustment. She insisted, through an aide, that the government is reviewing all its web content to ensure it is clear and accurate.

But for victims and health advocates, the government’s “clarification” is a long-awaited reversal. For the rest of the electorate, it means an end to the spectacle of one prime minister after the next trolling for votes in rural Quebec by defending the asbestos industry. Stephen Harper was just the latest.

Regrettably, Ottawa stopped short of an outright ban on the use of asbestos in Canada. Although chrysotile is no longer mined here, products containing asbestos, such as pipes and brake pads, can be imported. Moreover, the government is not offering any financial support to school boards, public agencies or landlords seeking to remove the carcinogenic substance from their buildings. Once considered a “magic mineral” for its insulating and fireproofing properties, asbestos can be found in thousands of schools, workplaces and apartment buildings.

The use of asbestos has declined sharply since the 1970s. But it continues to sicken and kill Canadians. Every year an estimated 2.1 per 100,000 are diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer with a long latency period. The death toll continues to climb.

Providing accurate warnings is a useful first step. But what’s really needed is a total ban, coupled with a national asbestos removal program.