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Asbestos, Quebec Putting Asbestos Past Behind

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After a 120 year history, Asbestos, Quebec is putting its asbestos past behind. Asbestos is known throughout the world as a deadly mineral comprised of microscopic fibers. These fibers, when inhaled, can cause diseases such as lung cancer, the deadly mesothelioma, and asbestosis. There is no safe level of exposure according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

History of Asbestos, Quebec

In 1879, the Jeffrey Mine opened. This was the beginning of the town that bore the name of the mineral that brought wealth, high-paying employment, and – eventually – a negative notoriety to Asbestos, Quebec.

By the 1920s, the dangers of asbestos were known, but ignored. The mining companies were not willing to lose the large profits from the mines. The mineral was becoming recognized throughout the world for its many properties including insulation and fire-retardance. Products and new ways of using the mineral were rapidly created. Asbestos, Quebec became a well-known exporter of asbestos for the world. By 1969, Asbestos had to relocate from its original site to allow room for the Jeffrey Mine expansion.

However, by the 1970s and 1980s, demand began to decrease as the dangers of asbestos, known to mine owners and manufacturers since the 1920s, became known to the public as well.

It was 2011 before the mines closed, along with Jeffery Mine tours the public could take into the western world’s largest mine. With the mine closures, Asbestos was hit hard with unemployment, bringing about a need for new industries bringing jobs to the small town.

Bringing new business to Asbestos, Quebec

Town officials began a search for new businesses, but immediately ran into objections based on the town’s name. As far back as 2006, the idea of a name change was suggested to the citizens. At that time it was rejected by those who remembered the history of their town with pride, despite the reputation of asbestos. Even today, many people in Asbestos believe there is a use for asbestos under safe and controlled circumstances.

In 2019, Mayor Hugues Grimard stated, “If we want to go further in terms of economic development, then we don’t have the choice. The media attention of our past stays with us any time we do anything.” Not only the media is a roadblock, but also the reputation of the word, “asbestos.” Many corporations do not want that negative image attached to their company and products.

A few new businesses located to the town, but not nearly enough to replace the enormous economic impact of the asbestos mines. Companies that did relocate to Asbestos have to fight the town’s name with customers who often think their products contain asbestos.

And the new name is?

A notice says the “city council remains aware that the history of Asbestos and its heritage are very dear to everyone. This is why these elements will be taken into account throughout the process.”

To give everyone a chance to rename the town, the council opened the search for a new name to the citizens of Asbestos – even those as young as 14. There were several requirements for suggestions: they must reflect the area or people, no saints or other names of persons, and it must be in French. After collecting all the suggestions, a committee will review and select five or fewer to be voted on by the people. The winner will be announced in May, 2020 and Asbestos, Quebec will take on a new character – one without the dark history of asbestos.

Johnson & Johnson Knew for Decades Talc Contained Asbestos

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Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder, a talcum powder product used by generations of parents and children, often contained asbestos, reports Reuters.  The same mines where talc is found are often contaminated with deposits of naturally occurring asbestos.   

A Reuters review of internal company documents, show that from at least 1971, Johnson & Johnson’s raw talc and finished powers sometimes tested positive for asbestos content.  The company’s lawyers & executives, however, were concerned about how to deal with the problem without disclosing the problem to the public.  

As the EPA considered regulating the use of asbestos in cosmetic products in the mid-1970s, Johnson & Johnson successfully avoided increased regulatory scrutiny by assuring the agency that no asbestos was detected in any sample of talc. This belied the reality that at least three internal tests in three years had found asbestos in its talc.  

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, is a deadly carcinogen.  Decades of scientific research establish that inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause an array of human injuries including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma – an incurable and fatal cancer.  The latency period, or time from exposure to diagnosis of an asbestos disease, can take decades: 30 or even 40 years is common.  

The Johnson & Johnson documents have recently come to light after years of legal claims brought by victims who alleged their injuries were caused by exposure to Baby Powder.  While most of these claims were brought by women with ovarian cancer,  more recent trials have involved mesothelioma victims – a signature disease caused only by asbestos.  

Johnson & Johnson states it will appeal the recent verdicts and maintains that its talc is safe, as shown by what the company views as the best available studies.  

Talc which studies showed sometimes contained small amounts of asbestos came from mines in Italy and Vermont.  Since 2003, talc in Baby Powder sold in the United States has been sourced from China.  

Talcum Powder a Carcinogen?

Mesothelioma Awareness Day and ADAO, the Group that Started it All

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The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, ADAO, was the group that started it all. It began in 2004 when two people, Doug Larkin and Linda Reinstein, who had loved ones suffering from mesothelioma saw a need and worked to find a way to stop this deadly disease. They found it through the ADAO as they began spreading the message about asbestos and mesothelioma.

Today is Mesothelioma Awareness Day, started by ADAO, and a perfect time to look at this amazing organization that makes fighting for past, current, and future victims of asbestos its goal.

The journey

Caring for, and watching their family members die, put the founders in contact with others going through the same painful journey – a journey that could be prevented for the generations to come if the mineral at the heart of it all could be banned. Fourteen years later, it is still not banned in the United States, but is in many parts of the world.

This group started slowly but gathered momentum as other victims and their family members learned of its existence. Today, thanks to people from all walks of life: patients, caregivers, and a host of donors and volunteers, the ADAO boasts a network of over 50,000 people who share in this quest to eradicate mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases from the world.

More than a ban

While the ADAO does strive for a ban, their mission goes beyond that with three initiatives: education, advocacy, and community.

Education

The ADAO has gathered a built an extensive library that is shared throughout the globe, along with a website brimming with information about asbestos and what you can do. There are speakers at conferences and events around the world presenting opportunities to interact and share information with others on similar missions. Each year, the ADAO hosts its own conference, the International Asbestos Awareness Conference where the latest information on the status of prevention and treatments is shared. In 2019, the conference will be in Washington, D.C. on April 5-7.

Advocacy

Since 2004, the ADAO has presented 13 staff briefings for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. They’ve created and sponsored a bill, the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act, that is supported by both the House and the Senate. This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finally – and permanently – remove the possibility of all human or environmental asbestos exposure.

Community

Caring for someone suffering from mesothelioma is an isolating experience. Linda Reinstein experienced that as she cared for her husband and knew it was an important part of the ADAO mission to support those with the disease and those caring for them. There are groups throughout social media to provide contacts and support without leaving home, there are campaigns, like “Share Your Story” and “6 Word Quotes” that educate about the dangers of asbestos and unite those living with the aftermath of exposure.

The fight continues

Until asbestos is banned throughout the world and there is no one suffering any longer from this disease, the ADAO will continue to fight to educate, support, and bring the issues of exposure to those in government who can make a difference.

You can sign a petition to the EPA for a final ban on asbestos, follow the ADAO on Facebook and Twitter, and get their eNewsletter – all ways to stay informed.

Flintkote in New Orleans: Fifty Years of Asbestos Exposure in Manufacturing

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The Flintkote Company established its product line in Massachusetts for over 30 years before opening a plant in New Orleans in the late 1930s. Thus began forty years of asbestos exposure in manufacturing roofing products and floor tiles in NOLA. 

By 1963, Flintkote had 147 plants, including 21 international. Though they produced gypsum, paper products, pipes, and other cement and asbestos products, their focus was on construction materials throughout the 1970s. But in 1987, Flintkote sold its construction, stone, and cement products units as they turned their attention to their enormous asbestos liabilities.

Flintkote today is known for its asbestos-related lawsuits. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004. At that time, they had paid $630 million for over 350,000 asbestos claims with over 155,000 cases yet to be tried at the time of bankruptcy. They remain liable for damages created by their use of asbestos. 

Asbestos exposure in manufacturing

The New Orleans plant was located at Poland Avenue and N. Galvez Street along a waterway that flowed directly into the Mississippi River. Workers handled raw asbestos here while adding it to roofing products and floor tiles. This continued at the New Orleans plant until the late 1970s. 

Results of asbestos exposure

By handling the asbestos with no protection, the microscopic fibers were allowed to permeate the air and, subsequently, enter the lungs through inhalation. These fibers can stay in the lungs for years – or decades – until possibly leading to lung cancer, asbestosis, or the fatal mesothelioma.  

Even today, there are workers fighting for justice after exposure at this plant. If you, or a loved one, believe you were exposed to asbestos, it is critical to see a doctor for regular medical exams. 

Asbestos Job Sites Louisiana

Lead Paint and Asbestos Found in New Orleans Courthouse

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A New Orleans courthouse in Orleans Parish was preparing for a renovation when both lead paint and asbestos were found throughout the ground and first floors. The courthouse was built 86 years ago when both the lead paint and asbestos were legally used in construction. Now, however, it is widely known that both can cause serious health repercussions.

Dangers of asbestos

The first regulation of asbestos took place as part of the 1970 Clean Air Act, yet it still exists in homes and commercial buildings built before 1978. Asbestos doesn’t pose a danger as long as it is undisturbed, but when scratched, broken, or otherwise damaged, the asbestos releases microscopic fibers into the air. These fibers can be inhaled through exposure and cause serious diseases, such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma – a deadly disease. Since the latency period can last up to 50 years after exposure, there will be deaths from exposure well into the next century. The Environmental Working Group Action Fund estimates that in the U.S. 10,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases each year.

Inspectors found asbestos in 40 percent of the bulk insulation samples taken from the ground and first floors. The potential harm from these samples qualified identified areas as EPA Hazard Category 1. Since fibers were already exposed, these areas required immediate abatement.

Other asbestos found in cloth, wrap, and spray-on insulation, were not yet releasing fibers so were named an EPA Category 7 – immediate abatement not required. These cases needed only the placement of warning labels.

Dangers of lead-based paint

Lead-based paint generally harms through ingestion. Children are the most vulnerable as they lick and touch the paint, which can contribute to developmental problems.

Paint samples taken from the courthouse revealed 63 of 79 (80 percent) taken from the first floor tested positive for lead. To remedy this, a liquid-based technique was used for removal to avoid spreading airborne dust or particles from the peeling paint.

What’s next?

The ground and first floors were tested and remediated for lead paint and asbestos in March of 2017. The renovations in these areas will be completed the summer of 2018. There was no testing on the second and third floors, however, since they were not in the renovation plans. Reports from the Materials Management Group (MMG) inspectors stated the spray-on insulation should be “assumed throughout the building.” These inspectors also reported, “Lead-based paint was detected throughout the interior painted surfaces of the building. Due to the deterioration of the painted surfaces, MMG recommends that a contractor licensed for lead removal/abatement is employed to control or abate these surfaces.”

Any structure, residential or commercial, built before 1980 should be suspected to have either, or both, lead-based paint and asbestos. Before renovations or tear-downs, it is important to hire inspectors familiar with hazardous substances to assess the need for abatement procedures. Don’t let the relatively minor cost of an inspection expose you and others to the potentially deadly fibers of asbestos.