Asbestos Legislation

The Canadian Cancer Society has requested that the Quebec government withdraw its support for expanding the Jeffrey asbestos mine in the province, the Montreal Gazette reports.

According to the news provider, the group said that it was "deeply disappointed" in the expansion approval given by Quebec Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac.

"This decision directly conflicts with global cancer control," said Paul Lapierre, the organization's vice president of cancer control. "The epidemic of asbestos-related cancers, both in Canada and around the world, will continue to spread."

Gignac, however, claims that the expansion of the Jeffrey mine will create an additional 425 permanent jobs in the town of Asbestos, where the mine is located.

Exposure to asbestos has been proven to cause a number of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 107,000 people die each year around the world as a result of asbestos-related diseases.