Asbestos News

A major hospital in the Canadian province of Quebec could lose its "green" certification because of asbestos.

The naturally occurring substance was reportedly used in the drainage pipes at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, according to the Montreal Gazette.

The hospital is reportedly pursuing silver status in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification but the Canada Green Buildings Council does not allow asbestos to be present in any of the designated buildings.

The medical center reportedly defended the use of the substance.

"There will be no asbestos fibres circulating in the air at the MUHC," a statement said. "There will be fibre cement in a very precise use: disposal of stormwater. The fibre cement is a material that is very rigid. It contains only 13 per cent of fibres that are sealed and encapsulated in a cement matrix. The fibres are not brittle and therefore pose no risk of emission of particles in the air."

Still, any amount of asbestos exposure can cause a number of serious illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that attacks the thin membrane that lines the abdomen, chest and many of the body's internal organs.