Officials in Canada are still refusing to cease the sale of Asbestos in the country. Every day in Canada hospitals are full of people who have developed Mesothelioma, cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Many pipes and homes in Canada are still insulated with the fiber that is known to cause cancer and other complications in individuals.

One of the reasons that Canada may be refusing to stop selling the fiber, and using it in it’s country, is because individuals do not get sick immediately after being exposed to asbestos. Complications due to asbestos, including Mesothelioma cancer, take between 20 and 40 years to be seen.

According to the World Health Organization over 125 million people are exposed to asbestos every year, and every year over 90,000 individuals die from asbestos-related illnesses.

Canada enjoys the monetary benefits of mining asbestos in their country, and are refusing to look past the profits they are reaping to see how they are negatively impacting their residents. Canada continues to be the second-largest exporter of asbestos in the world, just behind Russia. Most of the mined asbestos is shipped to China and India, however Canada uses it for multiple projects as well.

The Canadian Cancer Society has been lobbying for the country to cease sales and mining of the fiber, however they have had no luck so far stopping those in power. In fact, the Canadian government also went so far as to fight for asbestos to not be listed as a dangerous substance at the United Nations-sponsored Rotterdam Convention.

What do you think of all of this?