B.C. construction unions raise alarm about asbestos exposure
Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, February 04, 2008
METRO VANCOUVER - A leading Canadian physician in mesothelioma research and a University of B.C. professor are supporting an analysis by B.C. construction unions that 300 workers will die of asbestos-related disease each year over the next five years.
That means more than 1,500 workers will die of mesothelioma and other asbestos exposure illnesses in the next five years, said Wayne Peppard, executive director of the BC and Yukon - Building and Construction Trades Council, in a news release.
Peppard said in a statement that their prediction is based on a Building Trades' analysis of preliminary WorkSafeBC [formerly the Workers' Compensation Board] statistics and the latest research at the UBC School of Environmental Health.
Dr. Michael R. Johnston, a professor of surgery at Halifax's Dalhousie University who has performed several successful operations on patients afflicted with mesothelioma, and Professor Paul Demers at UBC's School of Environmental Health, agree with the assessment.
"The conservative estimate is 65-70 mesothelioma cancers and 130-140 asbestos related lung cancers per year," said Demers. "There are also cases of asbestosis, as well as mesothelioma that is misdiagnosed and other asbestos-related cancers (larynx, colorectal, stomach, etc.) pushing the number of new cases up to 250 - 300 per year and most will eventually die from these diseases.
"The general trend is more cases each year and internationally, researchers are projecting this trend to crest anywhere between now and 10 years from now. I think it is safe to assume that the rate will not be lower for at least five years in B.C."
Workers in B.C.'s insulation industry have had heavy exposure to the deadly fibres, said Wayne Laxton, business manager for the BC Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, Local 118.
"Most doctors have no knowledge of the disease," Laxton said in a statement. "I now urge widows of deceased union members to demand an autopsy. It's the only way to know for certain that the death was caused by asbestos or mesothelioma.
"There are thousands of British Columbians who have asbestos fibres in their lungs and don't even know they've been exposed to the toxin," Laxton added.
Peppard says the review takes into account that many mesothelioma fatalities are missing as WorkSafeBC statistics only register and track their own accepted cases.
"We know that many mesothelioma fatalities are not recorded in the statistics, nor are many lung cancer cases that are caused by asbestos exposure," Peppard said. "But this new research shows we can expect at least 300 asbestos-related deaths this year and every year for the next five."
"This carnage from asbestos related fatalities is disastrous for those workers and their families," Peppard added. "It's long past time that the Canadian and Quebec governments stop the production and use of asbestos - it's simply too dangerous a substance and these statistics prove it."
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