Ottawa denies science and lies about the safety of asbestos

[Tonington]

Can asbestos be used “safely”? - Science-ish - Macleans.ca

This week talks are taking place in Geneva, in the latest round of the Rotterdam Convention, a program in the UN through which the parties involved ban pesticides and industrial chemicals, or place restrictions due to the health and environmental risks. Canada is expected to block the listing of asbestos again, a $90 million industry. The listing would require any country importing chrysotile from Canada to have prior informed consent about the health risks before it could be exported from Canada.

Former Conservative Minister Chuck Strahl is joining such voices as the NDP, in calling on Ottawa to drop this indefensible apologetic for a known carcinogen.

 

[Unforgiven]

I say this embarrassing moment is brought to you by the folks behind firing the scientists working for the government.
Also Consent ends when the country loses consciousness.

 

[lone wolf]

Canada's position on asbestos is pretty much the same as what the dentist tells us: "This won't hurt (me) a bit."

 

[Sparrow]

Some of these ****asses who are trying to put Chrysotile back of the asbestos list should come here where it has been produced for over 100 years and see how many very old miners are still alive as well as people born and lived here all our lives, we do not have asbestosis.

 

[mentalfloss]

I've been hearing the conservative line is that there is one particular type of asbestos that is safe to work with and it's therefore worth the risk?? The asbestos without chrysotile?

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

We don't use asbestos to produce insulation any more do we?

Here are some items that still use asbestos.
Adhesives

Appliance components

Automotive products
*Brake linings
*Brake pads
*Clutch plates

Ceilings Products
*Acoustical plaster
*Ceiling panels
*Ceiling texture (Popcorn texture)
*Ceiling tiles
*Ceiling tile mastic

Cement-asbestos board (Transite) products
*Chimney flue lining
*Ducts
*Pipes
*Shingles
*Siding
*Wall panels

Chalkboards

Electrical products
*Cloth wire insulation
*Electrical breakers
*Electrical panel arc chutes
*Electrical panel partitions
*Electrical panels
*Insulating cloth

Fire protection products
*Fire blankets
*Fire curtains
*Fire doors
*Spray-on fireproofing

 

[Tonington]

Some of these ****asses who are trying to put Chrysotile back of the asbestos list should come here where it has been produced for over 100 years and see how many very old miners are still alive as well as people born and lived here all our lives, we do not have asbestosis.

And some smokers live to see 85, doesn't mean that it isn't a risk. The results are clear, exposure to chrysotile is a health risk. Canada is in select company by fighting the listing of this chemical on the list, we're in with Iran and Zimbabwe...not a single Western democracy opposes this listing.

 

[mentalfloss]

And some smokers live to see 85, doesn't mean that it isn't a risk. The results are clear, exposure to chrysotile is a health risk. Canada is in select company by fighting the listing of this chemical on the list, we're in with Iran and Zimbabwe...not a single Western democracy opposes this listing.

So what's with the hold up on our end then?

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Asbestos mining is a $90 million a year business in Quebec, the only place in Canada it's mined.

 

[petros]

Would anyone believe inhaling fine glass powder is safe?

It's loose friable material that is the problem.Sepentine is fine as a rock or If it is mixed with other organic materials then it loses the spearing effect in the lungs. It's when it's a raw dust that is the issue.

Pneumoconiosises like asbestosis silicosis and mesothelioma are something only a fool would think they are impervious too.

 

[taxslave]

We don't use asbestos to produce insulation any more do we?

Here are some items that still use asbestos.
Adhesives

Appliance components

Automotive products
*Brake linings
*Brake pads
*Clutch plates

Ceilings Products
*Acoustical plaster
*Ceiling panels
*Ceiling texture (Popcorn texture)
*Ceiling tiles
*Ceiling tile mastic

Cement-asbestos board (Transite) products
*Chimney flue lining
*Ducts
*Pipes
*Shingles
*Siding
*Wall panels

Chalkboards

Electrical products
*Cloth wire insulation
*Electrical breakers
*Electrical panel arc chutes
*Electrical panel partitions
*Electrical panels
*Insulating cloth

Fire protection products
*Fire blankets
*Fire curtains
*Fire doors
*Spray-on fireproofing

Many of these items have not had asbestos in them for over 20 years. I would have to check our books to know for sure on dates and that is a big job

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Many of these items have not had asbestos in them for over 20 years. I would have to check our books to know for sure on dates and that is a big job

Well in fairness I Googled it. so I can't account for complete accuracy, but I a pretty sure they still use them in braking components and some fireproof things.

 

[Praxius]

Some of these ****asses who are trying to put Chrysotile back of the asbestos list should come here where it has been produced for over 100 years and see how many very old miners are still alive as well as people born and lived here all our lives, we do not have asbestosis.

Maybe the better proof would be to list how many have died or diagnosed with illnesses related, not how many were lucky.

Or better yet, look at the number of cases in the 3rd world countries this stuff is exported to.

If there's none of very very little, then that'd be satisfactory to me.

Would anyone believe inhaling fine glass powder is safe?

It's loose friable material that is the problem.Sepentine is fine as a rock or If it is mixed with other organic materials then it loses the spearing effect in the lungs. It's when it's a raw dust that is the issue.

Pneumoconiosises like asbestosis silicosis and mesothelioma are something only a fool would think they are impervious too.

The problem is that sure in solid form there's very little risk, if any at all..... but over the years, these products will be tossed in the garbage/landfills or simply break down and then the problems arise.

They don't stay solid forever.

As a personal relation, my father-in-law passed away from mesothelioma related to exposure from asbestos a month after my wife and I married. His job was to install phone cables through the ceilings of various office buildings that were loaded with asbestos and it was during the time when the health risks were well-known, yet he and many other employees weren't told/warned about the places they were going into were loaded with the stuff...... there's currently a huge lawsuit against the government and the phone company they worked for in the name of the families who lost loved ones because of their inaction.

 

[Johnnny]

Asbestos is safe for us, just as long as we keep selling it to other people

 

[Tonington]

And that is the issue with listing it. Wherever the destination is for exported asbestos, they would have to be duly informed beforehand. It's similar to a doctor informing you of the risks of an operation before you agree to the treatment.

It doesn't even mean that Quebec couldn't mine it any longer, it only means that customers must be informed of the health risks. Select company we're in.

Oh, and also the Canadian government has spent about $20 million on the Chrysotile Institute.

Compare the defenses claimed by the industry to those of the tobacco industry. Not a whole lot of difference between the two.

 

[TenPenny]

Well in fairness I Googled it. so I can't account for complete accuracy, but I a pretty sure they still use them in braking components and some fireproof things.

Asbestos hasn't been used in brakes since about 2003.

I know that for industrial equipment, every one of our customers has a no-asbestos policy for all equipment, parts, etc. And that includes all of the mining companies, pulp and paper, and oil refineries east of Quebec. We don't sell to the asbestos mines, so I can't tell you if they have such a policy or not.

 

[mentalfloss]

Canada drops asbestos 'bombshell'

Canada told the world Wednesday it opposes placing limits on the export of chrysotile asbestos - a "bombshell" expected to derail international efforts to list the mineral as hazardous. Until Wednesday's declaration, the Canadian delegation had remained silent - fuelling speculation from anti-asbestos campaigners that Canada was letting a handful of other countries do its "dirty work."

The stunning development - confirmed by the UN Environment Program and characterized by the Montrealbased Chrysotile Institute as a"bombshell" - appeared to contradict statements made by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver just a day earlier. He told reporters in Ottawa that the question of Canada's position was "moot" because four other countries - Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine - had already spoken up against the listing.

Under convention protocol, unless consensus among countries is achieved, chrysotile asbestos remains off Annex III. The UN meeting ends Friday.

​

Canada drops asbestos 'bombshell'

 

[petros]

Gees. What's next? Ronald Reagan on TV trying to sell me a pack of Chesterfields?

 

[YukonJack]

Banning asbestos brings to mind the banning of DDT. DDT was found to be carciogenic, used on mice in amounts that proportionately could or would never be applied to humans.

Results? Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions die every year of malaria in Africa.

Of course, that is preferable to a few hundred dying of cancer.

Unintended circumstances are to curse of phony do-gooders.

 

[TenPenny]

Banning asbestos brings to mind the banning of DDT. DDT was found to be carciogenic, used on mice in amounts that proportionately could or would never be applied to humans.

Results? Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions die every year of malaria in Africa.

Of course, that is preferable to a few hundred dying of cancer.

Unintended circumstances are to curse of phony do-gooders.

I believe that unintended consequences are also the curse of large corporations. See 'thalidomide', if you have any questions.