Quebec’s mining glory to return to Asbestos?

The town of Asbestos, Quebec was named after the life’s blood of it’s 7,000 inhabitants. The strong, fire-resistant mineral that was so coveted during the 19th and 20th centuries was mined in Asbestos until the 1980′s when it became common knowledge that asbestos is a serious health hazard. Asbestos causes such fatal illnesses as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Canada is currently spending millions of dollars to remove asbestos from its buildings.

G. Bernard Coulombe, 69, wants the province of Quebec to grant Asbestos a $58 million loan guarantee to attract investors and revitalize the local mine. Once the mine is back up and running, Coulombe hopes to sell the asbestos to Asian countries, such as India, Pakistan and Vietnam, where asbestos use is still legal. Unlike Canada, where asbestos handling is stringently regulated and monitored, most of the buying countries place little importance on workplace safety.

In many country’s where asbestos use is legal, the workers who handle it have a high incidence of mesothelioma. This devastating cancer, which takes decades to develop, is a silent killer. Even patients who undergo mesothelioma treatment, which is not commonly available to Asia’s working class, generally only survive 18 months past diagnosis.

Coulombe’s proposal has been condemned by Canada’s medical and public health community, and many Canadian’s view the mine’s survival as an international embarrassment. Quebec is is expected to announce its decision regarding the loan guarantee this month.