The Collegium Ramazzini, an international society with almost two hundred scientists and clinicians as members, has joined a myriad of other organizations in writing to Quebec Premier Jean Charest protesting a $58 million loan guarantee that will resuscitate Quebec’s struggling asbestos industry. The letter was joined by a host of others from organizations such as the Canadian Public Health Association, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Medical Association and more.
Led by Joseph LaDou, M.D., the Collegium Ramazzini advocates a world wide ban on the substance, arguing that it undeniably causes a wide array of completely avoidable, terminal illnesses such as mesothelioma, a cancer of the soft tissue lining the body’s organs.
The society’s most recent appeal appeared in July’s issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal which discusses the connection between environmental issues and human health. Environmental Health Perspectives is a well respected, peer-reviewed publication, sponsored by a division of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
While the ultimate goal of the Collegium Ramazzini and other like-minded organizations is to effect a world wide ban on asbestos, much of their efforts are focused on the small town of Asbestos in Quebec, Canada. The town of Asbestos houses the Jeffrey Mine, one of the last asbestos mines in North America. Even in the face of public outcry, many continue to support the mining operation as a means of economic stimulus – a sentiment reflected by Premier Jean Charest’s consideration of a new $58 million loan aimed at expanding the mine.
Asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to the terminal cancer mesothelioma, as well as a variety of respiratory illnesses and other cancers. As many as 90,000 people world wide die each year from asbestos related diseases, nearly all of which come into contact with the substance at their workplace.
The ill effects of asbestos have been understood for more than half of a century, but bans, regulations and restrictions have faced opposition as the affluent asbestos industry struggles to remain profitable. Asbestos, says the Collegium Ramazzini, has been banned altogether in 52 nations worldwide, with many others such as the United States enforcing strict handling and use regulations.
With mounting public protest, an ever growing collection of medicine and science professionals voicing their disapproval, and the constant increase of asbestos related litigation, the asbestos industry certainly has its hurdles to overcome. Mines such as the Jeffrey Mine in Quebec, however, continue to produce millions of metric tonnes of the substance, which, when shipped to developing nations with loose asbestos regulations affects the health of more than 125 million workers.
