We endeavour to provide links to beneficial information related to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. However, the links to information listed below are provided as resource information only. We have not vetted this information, nor do we endorse the opinions expressed. Please properly vet all information that you obtain online and read all website disclaimers. For any medical advice, consult your family physician or medical specialists.
Information
Last up dated June 30, 2011
If information provided on this website regarding you or your organization is inaccurate, please email us at admin@areafund.ca and provide the necessary revisions, or request for removal.
Disclaimer
Wayne Peppard, Executive Director of the BC and Yukon Building and Construction Trades Council, stated in a 2008 news release that the findings of a leading Canadian scientist in mesothelioma research, Dr. Paul Demers, PhD (Director - School of Environmental Health at UBC) indicate that 1,500 workers will die of Mesothelioma and other asbestos exposure illnesses within the next five years.
Since the 1960s, the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Canada has increased dramatically because of work-related asbestos exposures. Treatment options are limited. In March 2007, a symposium was held in Vancouver, BC, to review the current approach to malignant mesothelioma in Canada and to discuss development of a national clinical research strategy. Dr. Christopher Lee, a leading oncologist with the BC Cancer Agency and Chair of the Systemic Policy Group for the BC Cancer Agency Lung Tumour Group, advised the BC Cancer Foundation that there are plans for a national mesothelioma registry to assist in diagnosis and treatment; however, significant funding is required to get this started.
The Baie Verte Miners’ Registry is collecting employment, exposure and health information from anyone who worked at the Baie Verte asbestos mine anytime between 1955 - 1992. It is their mission to make this registry as complete and inclusive as possible. By joining the registry, you will make sure that your employment, exposure and health records are collected safely and stored in the right place. These records will then be studied and compared to evaluate the health effects of working with asbestos. You will be informed of the overall results and you will be advised about any further steps to take in your specific case.
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. They have information to help people understand what mesothelioma is. The brochure at the link below can help you and your family take the first step in learning about mesothelioma.
LINKS: What Is Mesothelioma?
WorkSafeBC is dedicated to promoting workplace health and safety for the workers and employers of this province. They consult with and educate employers and workers and monitor compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
The May-June 2010 issue of WorkSafe Magazine highlights the dangers of asbestos; workers and employers need to be aware of the dangers and need to take appropriate precautions.
Booklets — Prevention Information for Workers and a Diagnostic Toolkit for Physicians
Occupational health risk booklets, containing prevention information for workers and a diagnostic toolkit for physicians and primary health providers, are available for a number of trades on the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association website. The last two pages of each four-page booklet are to be provided to your doctor; they give your doctor information about the health risks of your job.
These are links to PDFs of specific booklets. Booklets for additional trades are being developed.
In April 2009, the BC Federation of Labour released a report that shows that controversial changes made by the Campbell government to WorkSafeBC (formerly, the Workers Compensation Board - WCB) have resulted in massive cost-savings for employers, but have come at a profound cost to injured workers. The most extreme consequences of the changes are the effective elimination of loss of earnings pensions and the virtual elimination of vocational rehabilitation services. This has had a negative economic impact on thousands of permanently injured workers and their families.
Annual world production of asbestos remains at more than two million tonnes, according to a 2009 U.S. Geological Survey. China was the leading asbestos-consuming country in 2007, followed by India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. The interactive map enables you to find details on the amount of asbestos produced by country, as well as the amount consumed by each country.
In 2008 the Canadian government refused to sign the UN Rotterdam Convention declaring chrysotile asbestos a hazardous material. Canada is the only G8 country still mining and selling asbestos, and is number one in the western world for exporting chrysotile asbestos to developing nations. The Canadian government spent millions to remove asbestos from our Parliament buildings, but for developing nations our government both promotes and earns tax income on exporting Canadian asbestos to unprotected, uneducated and, moreover, unsuspecting victims.
This website collects examples of leading national and international, scientific and popular opinions calling on the Canadian government to stop mining and exporting chrysotile asbestos to developing nations.
According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 107 000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposure. WHO, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization and with other intergovernmental organizations and civil society, works with countries towards elimination of asbestos-related diseases.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists collaborated with the BBC's International News Services to document the asbestos industry’s activities in Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Russia, and the United States. Dangers in the Dust: Inside the Global Asbestos Trade, reveals close relationships among the industry, governments and scientists, and cites predictions from health experts that new epidemics of asbestos-related disease will emerge in the coming decades. Some experts believe that by 2030, asbestos will have taken as many as 10 million lives around the world.
RightOnCanada is an internet and public advocacy campaign of the Rideau Institute to put human rights back on Canada’s political agenda. The Rideau Institute is an independent research, advocacy and consulting group based in Ottawa. It helps non-profit organizations to meet their policy goals, and it provides research, analysis and commentary on public policy issues to decision makers, opinion leaders and the public. RightOnCanada provides valuable information and advocacy tools that support citizen action, including information on the asbestos issue.
RightOnCanada — Public Advocacy Campaign
