Quoted from http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Investigation+slams+asbestos+industry/3307407/story.html
Investigation slams asbestos industry
9-month probe. Report threatens government loan
By MONIQUE MUISE; KEVIN DOUGHERTY of The Gazette contributed to this report, The Gazette July 22, 2010 7:18 AM
MONTREAL – The fight to keep a controversial mineral flowing out of the tiny Quebec town that bears its name has been dealt a major blow at the hands of one of the world’s largest media organizations.
The British Broadcasting Corp., in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, released the results yesterday of an intensive nine-month investigation into the global asbestos industry and the Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute’s key role in marketing the mineral abroad.
The negative publicity couldn’t come at a worse time for the town of Asbestos, which has been anxiously awaiting approval of a $58-million loan guarantee from the provincial government that would allow for the expansion of its Jeffrey Mine. The mine produces chrysotile asbestos which is exported largely to the developing world.
“This is enormously damaging to us, especially at a time when we’re seeking government support,” said Bernard Coulombe, president of the mine. “It’s terrible publicity.”
The joint investigation, titled Dangers in the Dust, is also a public relations nightmare for the Chrysotile Institute, a publicly funded entity that champions asbestos mining in the province.
“The federal and provincial governments have given the Chrysotile Institute $35 million over the past 25 years,” said Jim Morris, one of the journalists spearheading the BBC/ ICIJ investigation. “There is strong support there.”
In Canada, asbestos production is centered entirely in Quebec. The province shipped a total of $97 million of raw fibre overseas in 2008, and is currently the world’s fifth-largest producer of asbestos and its fourth-largest exporter.
Despite this, Morris said the government’s ongoing endorsement of the Chrysotile Institute and the asbestos industry in general remains “something of a mystery” considering the strong criticism coming from medical and scientific experts all over the globe, who maintain that asbestos is dangerous and should be banned outright.
