Asbestos News
Canadian report shows high levels of asbestos in some structures
A Canadian report reveals that many public buildings in the country have high levels of asbestos in the air.The Globe and Mail reports that it obtained a report commissioned by Health Canada and conducted by researchers at the University of Ottawa that revealed that the air in some Canadian buildings contained asbestos levels 1,000 times higher than similar buildings in the U.S.
The news source reports that a Health Canada document obtained by Ken Rubin, an Access to Information Act (which is similar to America's Freedom of Information Act) researcher described the report as "the first overview of asbestos exposures in Canada, encompassing asbestos measurement data from hundreds of settings and circumstances."
That document showed "very imperfectly, general Canadian population exposures" to asbestos, according to the news provider.
Accounting for asbestos in buildings is vital as exposure to the naturally occurring mineral, which was once used as an insulator and flame retardant, can cause a range of serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
According to the World Health Organization, such diseases claim the lives of 107,000 people each year around the globe.
5/16/11
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