Federal government moves for blanket ban on asbestos by 2018
by The Canadian Press
Canada closed its last asbestos mines half a decade ago, but long-term impact of once-common construction material still takes its toll
Even small amounts of asbestos fibres can cause lung cancer or deadly mesothelioma
OTTAWA—The federal government is moving to ban all products containing asbestos by 2018.
The comprehensive ban is designed to include construction materials and brake pads that currently use the cancer-causing agent.
Even minute amounts of asbestos fibres can cause lung cancer or deadly mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer.
Thousands of Canadians continue to suffer from the long-term impacts stemming from decades of heavy use of the mineral.
Canada closed its last asbestos mines half a decade ago—leading communities once reliant on the mineral, such as Asbestos, Que. to forge a new identity.
Despite the closure, however, the country continued to obstruct international efforts to list it as a hazardous substance. Science Minister Kirsty Duncan says that stance will change in the next Rotterdam Convention.
