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Canada Imports Asbestos  

Despite rising fears of asbestos-related illnesses, imports of products containing asbestos show little sign of slowing.


According to Statistics Canada figures, imports of asbestos-related items rose to $6-million last year from $4.9-million in 2013. The bulk of these goods consisted of asbestos brake linings and pads, which hit $3.6-million in imports in 2014, a seven-year high. Other imports included raw asbestos, friction materials and some items containing crocidolite, which is considered the most dangerous form of asbestos. Full Article  

Save a Mechanic and Prevent Cancer

 

Mechanic Adrian Palumbo removes a dusty brake drum. (Sarah Bridge/CBC)  

Please help save our mechanics.  Each year, more than 4,300 automotive workers are exposed to asbestos, usually found in brake pads and linings. Asbestos causes cancer.  It is the top workplace killer in Canada and is responsible for between 500 and 1,000 Canadian deaths each year.

Despite Health Canada warnings that asbestos poses health risks, Canadian imports of asbestos containing products increased by 20% last year, including $3.6 million of brake pads and linings.  This represents hundreds of thousands of potential asbestos exposures for Canadian mechanics.

And it is completely unnecessary.


ABS Friction, a Canadian company, has been making asbestos-free brake pads since 1995.  Not only do affordable alternatives exist but even industry supports banning asbestos brake pads and linings.  Marc Brazeau, CEO of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada has said workers’ safety is a top priority and would support a ban.


All that is needed is the will to act.  For that, we need your help. Click here   to find out how.


Resources for Mechanics

 

Tavia Grant, The Globe and Mail

Asbestos Facts

About 1 in 6 after-market brakepads sold in Canada contain asbestos.


Asbestos causes cancer including lung cancer and mesothelioma.


So called safe-use of asbestos is a myth.