Canadian politician trying to shut down Asbestos Institute

A newly elected democrat MP is trying to shut down the Montreal-based Asbestos Institute (AI). Pat Martin is asking the conservative government to end its financial support of the AI since it is nothing more than what he calls “a group of charlatans and frauds.”

“Asbestos is the greatest industrial killer ever known,” Martin said in front of the House of Commons Natural Resources Committee (NRC). He later added, “More Canadians now die from asbestos than all other industrial diseases combined.”

Asbestos is a very desirable mineral because of a wide variety of attributes that it possesses. A few of those qualities include that it is fireproof, has superior electrical and thermal insulating qualities, and can withstand almost any harsh chemical.

However, asbestos exposure has been known to dangerous in the late 1800s, but researchers confirmed that it is a serious threat in the early mid 1960s. Exposure to asbestos has been linked to serious — often fatal — diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer.

There have been many demands to ban the use of asbestos worldwide, but Canada continues to produce about 500,000 metric tons of asbestos each year. Most of this is shipped to some of the world’s poorest and undeveloped nations. Canada has been labeled “shameful” for this action and receives much scorn from the international toxic substance regulation community.

Martin claims that a Canwest News Service report hid the findings of experts who concluded that the asbestos was dangerous. “There is a strong relationship between lung cancer and chrysotile asbestos mined in Canada,” the experts stated.

Lisa Raiit, a Natural Resource Minister, said, “Canada’s policies are based on internationally-recognized, peer-reviewed scientific evidence.”

Martin said that it is nonsense and stated, “It’s an embarrassment and a disgrace. I have no qualms calling the Asbestos Institute a bunch of frauds and charlatans.” It is highly unlikely that Martin will receive enough support to remove the funding.