Despite virtually banning the use of asbestos in Canada, the government regularly exports the lethal substance to poor countries, according to a new report published yesterday.
Experts condemned the Canadian government for what they called its hypocrisy in its handling of the material, in a report published in the medical journal Lancet.
The office for the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, meanwhile, said its practice has a “sound scientific basis.”
Asbestos is a natural mineral which can be processed for use in roof-tops, piping, or building materials. Inhaling its fibers scars the lungs and can lead to respiratory diseases, including cancers.
The WHO says all types of asbestos cause cancer and more than 50 countries have banned it. About 100,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases and 125 million people remain exposed to the deadly substance worldwide.
In the Lancet report, author Tony Kirby points out that unlike other rich nations, Canada remains a major exporter of chrysotile, or white asbestos.
Canada is the world’s fourth biggest exporter of asbestos, after Russia, Kazakhstan and Brazil. Last year, Canada shipped 150,000 tonnes to countries including India, Indonesia and the Philippines, where few laws exist to protect people from asbestos.
In Canada, the government has spent millions of dollars removing asbestos from buildings across the country, including its Parliament.
Numerous Canadian organizations, including the Quebec Medical Association, Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Medical Association have labeled Canada’s asbestos exportation as deplorable, shameful and unethical. They describe it as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s “killer legacy.”
With asbestos deposits dwindling in Quebec, where Canada’s asbestos is mined, the industry appeared doomed, but an international consortium proposed converting a closed mine into a new operation that could produce about 260,000 tonnes of white asbestos a year. The international consortium that wants to reopen the mine claims Canadian asbestos is only sold to manufacturers with responsible use practices in place. Developers said all of the mined asbestos would be sent abroad, with about half of it going to India.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
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