Labor group chides Canada for funding asbestos mine
ALU Associated Labor Unions-TUCP
The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Thursday chided the Canadian government for granting a $58-million loan to reopen an asbestos mine in Quebec.
“The Canadian government has banned the use of all asbestos in their soil but they just gave money that allows again the unimpeded flow of cancer-causing raw and asbestos-containing materials into the unwitting Philippine general population,” said Gerard R. Seno, coordinator of the union’s anti-asbestos campaign.
The Philippines imports 4,000 to 5,000 metric tons of unlabeled raw asbestos from Canada every year. These are mixed with other materials for insulation and chemicals for roofs and motor vehicle parts.
In a letter sent to the Canadian Embassy in Manila yesterday, the union said the loan undermined Canada’s campaign to phase out the use of asbestos.
Canada’s asbestos industry, which has been accused by environmental activists of producing products that cause cancer, has been given a $58-million loan by the Quebec government late last month.
The loan will cover more than two-thirds of the cost of renovating and reopening the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos. The mine is one of two remaining asbestos facilities in Canada. It suspended production last year due to financial problems.
“We conveyed to [Canadian] Ambassador Christopher Thornley how his government’s particular action deeply dismayed our campaign here to phase out asbestos-related diseases in the Philippines and lessen the exposure of millions of Filipino workers to cancer-causing asbestos dusts,” Seno said.
The Philippine government estimates that three million workers, particularly those working in the construction industry, are exposed to asbestos dust every day.
Asbestos is classified as a known human carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
When disturbed, asbestos dust enters through the nose and stuck in the lungs or in other internal organs.