At yesterday’s National Day of Mourning ceremony in Prince George, North Central Labour Council President Don Iwaskow joined union leaders from across the country to renew the call for a ban on asbestos.
“We can’t bring back those who have died but we can commit to making workplaces safer. That’s why Canadian unions are calling for a national ban on asbestos, a known killer that causes disease, suffering and death, all of it preventable.”
Exposure to asbestos kills 2,000 Canadians every year. It is the leading cause of work related death in the country. The deadly substance can be found in products from cement pipes and other construction materials to ceiling tiles and brake pads.
Products containing asbestos are still imported. In fact, asbestos imports grew from $4.7 million in 2011 to $8.2 million in 2015, even as asbestos-free alternatives are manufactured in Canada.
“Within the country, we have asbestos brake pads, concrete pipes that they use for sewer pipes,” says Iwaskow. “[But] asbestos free brake pads are manufactured in Guelph and asbestos free ceiling tiles are produced in Langley.”
Diseases caused by asbestos, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, may not show up for years after exposure. That’s part of the reason rates of mesothelioma, often caused by asbestos, rose by 60% between 2000 and 2012, as workers exposed years ago began to get sick.
“Asbestos is not bad if it’s not agitated but the minute it’s disturbed, that’s when it’s really the problem,” Iwaskow says. “And we have companies that would rather sweep it under the carpet and not say anything. We’d sooner it didn’t exist at all.”
Removing asbestos from building is expensive, requiring proper protective gear which workers aren’t always given, according to Iwaskow.
“I know there’s been several contractors, specifically in the Lower Mainland, that have been caught numerous times with their workers in asbestos areas without the proper safety gear.”
Employers face fines for not providing workers with personal protective equipment.
The Canadian Labour Congress is asking for the federal government to outline a plan for banning all kinds of asbestos before its summer recess this year. It also wants Ottawa to create a registry of buildings across the country that are contaminated with the substance.
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