Asbestos News

Canadian Infrastructure Minister Chuck Strahl recently said that he needs to leave out his personal asbestos-related health issues in the debate over the country's mining and exporting of the dangerous material, News1130.com reports.

Strahl, who reportedly suffers from an inoperable form of lung cancer that was caused by asbestos exposure, did say that the asbestos industry itself was shrinking, according to the news provider.

Strahl also argued that the major focus should be on shifting the economies of developing nations into other areas before the asbestos industry begins to disappear.

"More and more countries are just simply banning it," Strahl said. "They are not getting into the debate on whether or not it can be managed properly."

In addition to lung cancer, exposure to asbestos can cause asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in the tissues surrounding many of the body's internal organs. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 107,000 people worldwide die from asbestos-related diseases each year.