Are Canadas Asbestos Exports Responsible?
February 15, 2010 /EIN PRESSWIRE/ Mesothelioma deaths in Mexico are on the rise, and some are pointing to asbestos imports from Canada as cause for concern. A report in the Toronto Globe & Mail juxtaposes the rise in Mesothelioma cases in Mexico to Canada’s exportation of chrysotile asbestos, which netted the country more than $90 million CAD in 2008. Almost all asbestos exports are going to developing nations, with half of all exports going to India. The asbestos is used by these developing nations as an additive to strengthen cement. “The risks associated with (asbestos) use can be managed under controlled conditions. Banning chrysotile is neither necessary nor appropriate,” Natural Resources Canada, the government’s natural resources body, said in a statement. NRC contended the Mexican deaths were due to past uses of asbestos that are now prohibited. With Canada aggressively exporting asbestos to the developing world, is the rise in mesothelioma in Mexico simply the beginning of thi
