More than 3,000 public buildings in Quebec contain asbestos, putting construction workers at risk
More than 3,000 public buildings in the province contain asbestos, and this is putting construction workers at risk of cancer, according to one group.
"Asbestos is such a toxic material and very low doses of exposure can cause huge problems," says epidemiologist Norman King, scientific adviser with Quebec's Asbestos Victims Association (AVAQ), according to a report from The Canadian Press (CP).
The biggest risk with asbestos is mesothelioma – a rare cancer of the lining of the lung.
"It has nothing to do with tobacco smoke. Amazingly enough, the only known cause for mesothelioma is asbestos exposure," King said.
Construction workers are the ones most at risk, said Simon Lévesque, an occupational health and safety coordinator with FTQ Construction, in the CP report posted on CTV News.
"The main cause of work-related death for construction workers is due to asbestos," he said.
About 100 Quebecers die from mesothelioma every year. And the cancer takes several decades to develop after asbestos exposure, according to the report.
And both experts are calling for protection for workers.
"Everyone must be protected to avoid that one person gets sick 20, 30, 40 years later," said King. "It's a debilitating and very fatal disease."
Materials containing asbestos were widely used by the construction industry between 1930 and 1990, said King.
"These health concerns have long been downplayed," said Lévesque in the report. "The regulations put in place and employers are not taking serious enough measures to protect workers."
