Federal Government Bans Asbestos Use by 2018

On Thursday, December 15th, the Canadian Government made a major announcement stating that they will be moving forward with a “whole-of-government approach to fulfill its commitment to ban asbestos and asbestos-containing products by 2018.” The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health commented on the decision stating that “Across Canada and the world, asbestos-related cancers continue to hurt Canadian families and pose a significant burden for

Canada’s federal government should be ashamed of itself!

Laurena Smith Features Writer, Canadian Cancer Survivor Network With the closure of the last two asbestos mines in 2011, Canada’s export industry for the toxic mineral is not expected to make a return any time soon. Even Premier Jean Charest’s promised 58 million in loans to reopen the Jeffrey Mine in aptly named Asbestos, Quebec went unfunded when the Parti Quebecois  won the 2012 provincial

Precautions to Take After Being Exposed to Asbestos

If you’ve been following CCSN for any amount of time, you’ve probably amassed a considerable amount of knowledge about the health complications that can develop after asbestos exposure. However, you may also have spent a considerable amount of time racking your brain for times when you could possibly have been exposed to asbestos. If you’ve identified any potential exposures, you may now be dealing with

Canada and Asbestos Today – A Guest Post from Kathleen Ruff

The following post first appeared on the Canadian Meso blog, which is a part of the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network‘s recent project committed to providing survivors, patients, families, and the wider public with information and news about asbestos and asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.  Now that Canada no longer mines or exports asbestos, what are the next steps we should be taking as a country? The

Will Quebec Finally See the Truth About Asbestos?

  The following post first appeared on the Canadian Meso blog, which is a part of the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network‘s recent project committed to providing survivors, patients, families, and the wider public with information and news about asbestos and mesothelioma.  In April 2013, CBC News published an article about the possible end of Quebec’s asbestos promotion policy. After 11 years of encouraging local construction companies

Does asbestos harm the environment?

In our last CCSN article, my colleague Tim Povtak wrote about the damage that asbestos can do to your body. Today, Jackie kindly opened the floor for me to discuss the damage it can do to the earth. It’s ironic to think that a mineral that originates in the earth could actually end up hurting it. But that’s exactly the case with asbestos. The naturally