Asbestos News

A woman with ties to the asbestos industry recently resigned from the board of the Canadian Red Cross, as anti-asbestos advocates called on her to do so.

The former board member, Roshi Chadha, is an executive for a subsidiary of Balcorp Ltd., which has a years-long record of exporting asbestos from Canada to India, according to the Montreal Gazette. In addition, Chadha is the wife of  Baljit Singh Chadha, who has been tirelessly campaigning in recent months to revive the asbestos industry in Canada.

Anti-asbestos campaigners had called for Chadha's removal from the board in December. The board had backed Chadha publicly instead, which prompted one of its members, Peter Robinson, to resign.

People had called for the resignation because they felt that a humanitarian organization such as the Red Cross should be more actively aware of the dangers presented by asbestos. Exposure to the naturally occurring substance has been proven to cause a number of serious illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma.

Despite these well-known risks, Canada has remained active in the asbestos trade, to the consternation of many of its residents and the global health community.