Exporting Death
It is surely long past time for Canada to put a stop to its production of asbestos. Asbestos of any kind, including the type mined in Quebec, chrysotile asbestos, is outlawed for use in Canada. It is immoral for this compound used now in third-world countries where construction safety practises are spotty at best, to continue to be a valued export item.
There are a relative few number of people employed in the industry, in Canada, and the trade amount represented is not all that impressive, leaving little reason to defend its continued extraction and sale. Fully 52 countries of the world recognize asbestos as a carcinogen, and ban its importation.
Within Canada, the government itself has been busy eliminating asbestos from all federal government buildings, to ensure safety and health guidelines are met. One of the first questions a commercial-property sales agent must ask of home or building owners preparing to put their property on the market, is whether there is any asbestos present in the building.
It defies logic that anything so dangerous to the health of those in the extraction industry, to those in the construction industry, to those who live in buildings in which asbestos is used as a fire retardant, could be seen as a valuable commodity. It is unconscionable that a country like Canada still permits the province of Quebec to mine and sell asbestos.
Even though the industry, pointing out that chrysotile asbestos is considered safe under controlled conditions, the reality is that it is sold to third-world countries where worker protection is not vigorously pursued. Those who understand quite well that all forms of asbestos are harmful understand the dangers of exposure to the substance to over 125-million people worldwide.
"It is just not possible to work safely with asbestos, especially in developing countries where social controls are weak", emphasized Dr. Philip Landrigan of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and head of the Collegium Ramazzini representing an independent group of academic experts in occupational and environmental health, involved in calling for a ban of the substance.
Despite the dreadful reputation of the substance as a building material, developing nations still value the mineral for its properties. It is a cheap and effective but deadly material used commonly in construction. Workers in countries like India take little notice of its deadly effects, and no precautions are taken by them. The penalty for this will be people falling deadly ill with cancerous lung conditions.
A huge population base and consequently cheap labour in countries like India means that construction labourers are 'expendable', in such emerging economies' struggles to increase their economic clout and gradually enter the special club of advanced countries' territory. If a tiny proportion of their workforce is sacrificed in the effort, it is handily overlooked.
But that Canada is also prepared to overlook the plight we are directly responsible for placing foreign workers in, while protecting our own, this is another story altogether. A shameful one, with a dreadful ending.
There are a relative few number of people employed in the industry, in Canada, and the trade amount represented is not all that impressive, leaving little reason to defend its continued extraction and sale. Fully 52 countries of the world recognize asbestos as a carcinogen, and ban its importation.
Within Canada, the government itself has been busy eliminating asbestos from all federal government buildings, to ensure safety and health guidelines are met. One of the first questions a commercial-property sales agent must ask of home or building owners preparing to put their property on the market, is whether there is any asbestos present in the building.
It defies logic that anything so dangerous to the health of those in the extraction industry, to those in the construction industry, to those who live in buildings in which asbestos is used as a fire retardant, could be seen as a valuable commodity. It is unconscionable that a country like Canada still permits the province of Quebec to mine and sell asbestos.
Even though the industry, pointing out that chrysotile asbestos is considered safe under controlled conditions, the reality is that it is sold to third-world countries where worker protection is not vigorously pursued. Those who understand quite well that all forms of asbestos are harmful understand the dangers of exposure to the substance to over 125-million people worldwide.
"It is just not possible to work safely with asbestos, especially in developing countries where social controls are weak", emphasized Dr. Philip Landrigan of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and head of the Collegium Ramazzini representing an independent group of academic experts in occupational and environmental health, involved in calling for a ban of the substance.
Despite the dreadful reputation of the substance as a building material, developing nations still value the mineral for its properties. It is a cheap and effective but deadly material used commonly in construction. Workers in countries like India take little notice of its deadly effects, and no precautions are taken by them. The penalty for this will be people falling deadly ill with cancerous lung conditions.
A huge population base and consequently cheap labour in countries like India means that construction labourers are 'expendable', in such emerging economies' struggles to increase their economic clout and gradually enter the special club of advanced countries' territory. If a tiny proportion of their workforce is sacrificed in the effort, it is handily overlooked.
But that Canada is also prepared to overlook the plight we are directly responsible for placing foreign workers in, while protecting our own, this is another story altogether. A shameful one, with a dreadful ending.
Labels: Canada, Economy, Environment, societal failures
posted by Pieface @ 6:23 PM
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