Asbestos Exposure

Many public entities in Canada have come out against the country's continued exporting of asbestos to third-world countries. It's surprising to see, then, a carefully written current story in the Toronto Star news outlet about a guy--CEO of Canada's largest still-working asbestos mine--openly beating the bushes for money to keep mining and exporting the deadly mineral.

According to the Star, Bernard Coloumbe claims that chrysotile asbestos, the type found in this mine, is less dangerous than other types such as crocidolite. He also claims he won't sell to companies with "unsafe" manufacturing practices. But he admits there's no protection whatever for the people in the field who buy the manufactured asbestos products and cut and saw them to fit their projects.

Asbestos exposure is proven to lead to fatal lung diseases. Victims who've contracted mesothelioma--the asbestos-exposure-related lung cancer--often begin to suffer pleurisy-like symptoms, which include pain on breathing, dry cough, and shortness of breath. They may experience weight loss, muscle wasting, loss of appetite, and general debility (a constellation known as cachexia). They may develop abdominal fluid retention (known as abdominal ascites). Standard lung cancer treatment is seldom effective.

Coloumbe is quoted in the story: "If everything goes well...we will be working in the underground mine and starting to produce in 2010. I can tell you, not just the Indian customers, but the big users of the world – Mexico, Venezuela, Pakistan, Vietnam. They're waiting for us."

At this time there is no cure for mesothelioma. Most major countries have banned the use of asbestos. And the fact that Canadian asbestos manufacturers are looking the other way as they send out their products to cause certain disease and death around the world is truly frightening.