Canadian Asbestos Mine Comes Under 'Daily Show' Scrutiny

The Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Quebec has come under recent scrutiny after the Canadian government proposed a $58 million grant to reopen the mine. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart sent an investigative reporter to speak with town officials about the state of the mine and their current feelings towards chrysotile asbestos. The officials believe that chrysotile asbestos is not harmful when limited to small amounts of exposure. The Canadian mines freely export asbestos to developing countries such as India that have devastating effects on the workers and population. A report published by The Center for Public Integrity detailed the exposure in India, reporting that as many as 55,000 people are exposed without protection to the deadly asbestos fibers each year. Despite the officials' beliefs, medical studies have proven that all forms of asbestos have a hazardous effect on humans. Health organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency have listed asbestos and all asbestiform minerals as human carcinogens. Asbestos has been linked to diseases such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Although asbestos has been banned in many parts of the world, it is still legal in the United States and Canada, among other countries. Georges-Andrè Gagnè, the general manager of the town stated, "Asbestos has been banned in some parts of the world, but here in Quebec, we are saying ‘use more asbestos.'" Studies by the WHO have shown ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos Exposure & Bans Source Type: news