Asbestos News
Canadian asbestos dealer looks to justify trade
A Canadian businessman who deals in asbestos is looking to start a campaign defending the use of the naturally occurring carcinogen.Baljit Chadha will meet with a number of asbestos critics, including MP Pat Martin and the Canadian Cancer Society, according to the Canadian Press.
Canada is one of the last developed nations to take part in the asbestos trade, mining the substance and exporting it to developing countries. Furthermore, the country was a key player in keeping asbestos off the United Nations international hazardous-chemicals list.
However, it is a universally recognized fact that asbestos - no matter what form it is - causes a range of lethal diseases such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
Still that isn't stopping Chadha and others from insisting the mineral can be used safely.
"We have nothing to hide and we want to change the perception," he told the news source.
Chadha would have a hard time selling that argument to the families of the 107,000 people who are killed each year around the world from asbestos-related diseases, according to World Health Organization estimates.
9/26/11
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