Canadian Asbestos Exportation Continues to Draw Headlines

The international uproar over the Quebec government’s decision to green light the reopening of the giant Jeffrey Asbestos Mine by way of a $58 million loan just won’t go away this summer.

The latest volley in the ongoing battle to stop Canadian asbestos exportation came from a long time anti-asbestos activist, Kathleen Ruff. Ms. Ruff and her sister lost their father to asbestos related disease and have organized the 2nd annual Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos to take place in Sarnia on September 29, 2012.

In an online piece for her website, rightoncanada.ca, she describes inviting Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to the event. The Health Minister sidestepped the invitation by deferring it, a move the sisters are calling ‘callous’. Minister Aglukkaq says that asbestos is an issue that would fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The federal Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, has been a supporter of the Canadian asbestos industry. Sadly, when it comes to asbestos it shows that the same issues that have been at work now for decades – politics vs. health and environmental concerns – are still at play.

Asbestos in Your Home
While it’s been banned from residential uses in Canada for decades, if you have a house built before 1970 you should assume that it contains asbestos somewhere. It can show up in a variety of places both outdoors and indoors including:

• Roofing
• Siding
• Windows and window caulking
• Ceiling tiles
• Floor tiles
• Pipe chasing
• Insulation

Don’t Try This At Home
In many of its residential uses, including floor and ceiling tiles, asbestos actually appears in a mixture. The material is considered safe as long as it’s intact however damage and degradation can produce the friable – or inhalable – fibres which have been proven to cause lung disease, including cancer and mesothelioma.

Just as public institutions keep tabs on it, you should be aware of where asbestos is located in your home and keep an eye on it regularly for damage or deterioration. It will be crucial information when you do any renovations, which will almost certainly produce asbestos containing dust when it involves those areas.

Let us Help
Get peace of mind from GreenStream Environmental – call us for an asbestos inspection or removal quote today.

If you are looking to buy or renovate an older home then do yourself a favour and include an asbestos inspection on the list of things to do.

In the Toronto area contact GreenStreamEnvironmental.ca at (416) 818-9414.

Featured in Mike Holmes’ magazine, HGTV’s Income Properties, W Network’s Love It Or List It and chosen by Homestars.com as “Best Toronto Asbestos Removal Company” based on customer ratings and reviews, GreenStream Environmental Services are fully-certified, trusted and insured professionals in the removal and disposal of commercial, industrial, institutional and residential asbestos, vermiculite and mould (hazardous and non-hazardous). Providing emergency service 24/7/365 for all of Toronto and the GTA (North York, Mississauga, Markham, Brampton, Scarborough, Ajax, Oshawa, and beyond) GreenStream has over 40 combined years of experience serving clients such as the City of Toronto, the Toronto District School Board and many more. For a free estimate in Toronto, the GTA and Southern Ontario, call today at 416-818-9414.  You’ll be glad you did.