A Loud Canadian Silence At Conference On Whether To Allow Continued Chrysotile Asbestos Exports

[hatrack]

OTTAWA — Canada remained silent Tuesday at an international meeting convened to decide whether to place limits on the export of chrysotile asbestos — fuelling concerns from observers that the federal government is letting other countries do its "dirty work." Debate about whether to label chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous material under the United Nations' Rotterdam Convention kicked off Tuesday, and is now scheduled to continue on Thursday after consensus among more than 100 countries did not emerge.

If chrysotile asbestos is listed on Annex III of the convention, "Prior Informed Consent" is required before countries like Canada can export the mineral, meaning importing countries are informed of the hazards and can refuse to accept it if they believe they can't handle it safely.

The convention's expert scientific committee repeated its recommendation Tuesday that chrysotile asbestos, a known carcinogen already banned in many developed countries, be placed on the list. Canada took the lead at the 2006 meeting to speak out against the recommendation, and declined to stand with industrialized countries at the 2008 meeting, when a handful of countries, including Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Zimbabwe, objected to the listing.

This year, Canada's delegation has remained mum so far, but conference observer Alexandra Caterbow, representing European groups opposed to the unencumbered export of chrysotile asbestos, suspects something else is at work. So far, delegates representing Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam have spoken out against the expert committee's recommendation.

EDIT

http://www.windsorstar.com/business/Canada%20noticeably%20quiet%20international%20meeting%20asbestos%20exports/4982839/story.html

[snagglepuss]

1. Looks like India which is I believe one of the biggest importers of Canadian

asbestos is also remaining mum. :mad:

[JDPriestly]

2. Asbestos is deadly. What is it being used for?

The production of asbestos should be prohibited.

This is the real reason that our big corporations moved overseas. The effects of years and years of pollution were becoming evident: birth defects, lung and other disease, barren land turning to dust.

We have to take care of the earth and air. Producing asbestos, manufacturing with it and just breathing in the tiny, tiny particles that are asbestos should be completely banned everywhere.

[lfairban]

3. They are not producing Asbestos!

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, it has already been produced, and is sitting in the ground waiting to be used.

What they are talking about is a ban on products that contain asbestos.

[JDPriestly]

4. I know this very well. But it has to be brought out of the ground and

packaged for sale. That is what I mean by "produce." Further, the raw asbestos has not much value. It's products which, as they are produced and as they age and deteriorate, that are so dangerous.

They should ban products containing asbestos. They are deadly. A few finished products are indestructible enough that the asbestos is rarely loosed on the world by them. But most of the asbestos ends up in the air and kills.

There is a big question about just how much asbestos has to be inhaled to cause death in the host that carries them. But there is no doubt that some unknown certain quantity of it kills -- and often the host dies a slow, painful death.

[lfairban]

6. Oh! That's different.

IIRC, an asbestos in products ban went into effect a couple of decades ago. Then a district court in New Orleans I believe, overturned a portion of the bill. There was some discussion between the lawyers as to whether this invalidated the whole Asbestos Product Ban. In practice, it didn't matter because the USEPA did nothing to enforce it.

[Canuckistanian]

5. That's the point. They just don't give a shit what it's used for

Asbestos is BANNED in almost every first and second-world countries. Even in Canada, it has a health rating slightly below toxic radioactive waste.

But as long as some third-world countries are willing to buy it, the Harper government is willing to allow it to be sold.

I think heard a poll somewhere recently that said over 90% of Canadians oppose the mining, use and export of ANY asbestos products.

But then, Harper was rejected by over 65% of our citizens due to our lopsided political system, and remains in power with a healthy majority.

We REALLY need Proportional Representation.