Asbestos News

Health risks linked with exposure to asbestos have become increasingly problematic, as many people are beginning to display the symptoms of the deadly diseases caused by the carcinogenic material decades after they were initially exposed.

In order to prevent these illnesses - which include asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma - as frequently as possible, WorkSafeBC in British Columbia, Canada, has already shut down 30 different demolition sites this year due to violations related to improper asbestos removal, reports the Vancouver Sun.

WorkSafeBC is an organization that works with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation to educate employers and their workers about potential health risks on the job, including asbestos exposure, according to its website.

According to the news provider, the agency recently unveiled a new 10-member team dedicated to fighting the asbestos issue in the area. WorkSafeBC works with municipalities across the region to ensure that demolition permits are issued properly and that asbestos is not released into the environment during such work.

"It's a big issue," Al Johnson, regional director of construction for WorkSafeBC, told the news source. "If you don't remove hazardous materials, including asbestos, before you demolish, people can be exposed."

Johnson added that the new dedicated team of inspectors visits the specific sites to ensure that the asbestos is removed prior to demolition work getting underway. He said that both homeowners themselves and the workers conducting the demolition or renovation projects could potentially be at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease if exposed.

However, the asbestos problem does not lie solely with homeowners demolishing their properties, as WorkSafeBC has fined a number of companies in the past for violating asbestos regulations and potentially exposing their workers to the dangerous material.

According to the news source, some businesses that have been subjected to fines include the Salvation Army in Mission and Nystar Developments Corp. in Vancouver. In the Nystar case, WorkSafeBC inspectors commented that 10 of the company's workers were removing asbestos-containing materials from a site without taking proper safety precautions including wearing protective equipment, the news provider said.

Asbestos has been utilized since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, who prized the material for its resistance to fire. However, by the mid-1960s, it became clear that the dangerous mineral could cause serious diseases, but many older buildings still contain asbestos.

The material has been an even more pertinent topic in Canada, as asbestos mines such as the Jeffrey Mine in Quebec have been scrutinized in recent years for exporting the carcinogenic mineral to developing countries.

Johnson, WorkSafeBC's regional director of construction, told the news provider that it was important for companies and homeowners alike to hire properly trained contractors to complete asbestos abatement work prior to renovation or demolition projects.

"When we show up, they're removing it incorrectly - if they're removing it at all. We shut down the site until they get a proper survey done. Then the asbestos has to be removed correctly," he said.

Johnson added that WorkSafeBC accepted 60 asbestos-related claims in 2009, a sharp increase from the average of 10 per year that were accepted during the 1970s. He told the news source that more than 50 workers in the region die from asbestos exposure each year, which makes it the largest occupational killer in British Columbia, according to the news source.

The World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 people around the world die each year as a result of asbestos-related illnesses.