Asbestos News

As countries around the world prepare for a convention regarding hazardous materials, one of the nations at the center of the asbestos trade, Canada, has remained silent on its intentions.

The Montreal Gazette reports that representatives for Canadian Industry Minister Christian Paradis say that they are not ready to reveal their position as they get ready for the United Nations' Rotterdam Convention.

The Canadian government recently decided to continue exporting chrysotile, or white, asbestos, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from health experts around the world. The government claims that the naturally occurring mineral can be used safely although it has been proven since the mid 1960s that exposure to asbestos can cause malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

"We have taken the use of sprayed-on asbestos completely out of building codes. Most products, in practice, don't contain asbestos any longer. It's very restricted. Nobody in their right mind would use it in any kind of building operation because the liability around it is so severe," Jim Brophy, an adjunct professor and an occupational and environmental health expert, told the news source.

The news source reports that it is expected that the meeting might result in placing limits on the amount of chrysotile asbestos that can be exported.