Document 3NYv5DvzgV1Vp7GagnpeZBXLx

FILE NAME Quebec Asbestos Mining Association QAMA DATE 1977 Apr DOC QAMA149 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION QAMA Bulletin Vol 1 No. 2 Asbestos and Qu^'bec'seconomic development In its study of the Qu^'becasbestos industry commissioned in 1973 by the Departmenotf Natural Resources and presented in report form in 1975 the Department's division of Mineral Economy and Development made special mention of the fact that commercialization of Qu^'bec asbestos by the companies is presently being conducted with great efficiency The report also warns the Government against the danger of dis- rupting integration with the world economy which is a characteristic of the Qu^'becindustry and on which it depends for stability and growth which according to the author could lead in addition to the elimination to all intents and purposes of private capital inflow in the future expansion of the industry in Qu^'- bec The provisional balance sheet for production and sales of mining companies in 1976 shows to what extent asbestos commercialization is car- ried out with great efficiency and the investment programs in which the industry is presently engaged at a cost of tens of millions of dollars attest to the importance of the inflow of private capital Contributions to the State But neither the report nor most documents studies and press articles published since then mention the economic benefits accruing in Qu^'bec as a result of these performances with respect to commercialization and capital inflow Thus it is too often ignored that the asbestos mining industry by virtue of its efficiency and stable prices markets and their maturity contributes more to the Qu^'bec Treasury than all the other mining sectors In fact Qu^'becincome from asbestos mines alone represents 60 of all income derived from the entire Qu^'becmining industry In 1976 asbestos companies will have paid the State in mining rights company income taxes and other provincial taxes over 40 million Salaries However this is only one aspect of the industry's contribution to the Qu^'bececonomy Thanks to full employment policy it provides work to more than 6,500 persons who are also payers who share salaries totalling over 100 million Company disbursements for the various social benefit programs - retirement and pension plans worksmen's Compensation Board unemployment insurance etc. amount to close to 20 million to which should be added substantial sums which the industry devotes to scientific and medical research for the development of health conditions at work On the other hand the performance of these mining activities concentraled in five Eastern Township localities directly benefits 000 inhabitants of this Qu^'bec region which essentially depends on the asbestos industry Purchasing policy Furthermore the asbestos indus- try in doing business with some 290 Qu^'becsuppliers spread among the mining communities the adjoining cities and the major centres like Qu^'bec and Montr^'al purchases nearly 85 million worth of goods and services annually in Qu^'bec In this way in total the asbestos compagnies about 340 300 million whose 1976 sales are million injected some into the national econ- omy LBulletin| McGill and Industrial Health The Occupational Health and Safety Unit of Montr^'al's McGill Uni- versity is currently conducting im- portant research studies dealing particularly with dust elimination identification of dangers associated with the use of chemical products and the health of workers in the asbestos industry The Institute of Occupational Medicine of Montreal an organization created by the Qu^'bec Asbestos Mining Association recently commissioned the department to conduct two research projects to be financed by the Institute The first project deals with the methods used to decrease the concentration of asbestos fibres in respirable air using electrically water droplets sprayed from aerosol cans the second will be conducted in cooperation with the Institute of Occu- pational Medicine of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the University of London It will deal mainly with incidences of death and radiological changes among employees working in the asbestos mining industry A multidisciplinary team McGill University's Occupational Health and Safety Unit is headed by Dr Graham Gibbs Industrial Hygienist and groups together doc- tors engineers and experts in other various fields such as microbiology and geology The unit is geared to study all aspects of the industrial environment susceptible to affect the health and safety of workers The Department's principal laboratory facilities are located al Mont SI Hilaire near Montreal and include two experimental units to study exposure to dust and highlyperfected equipment to check the efficiency of respirators Experts study the effects produced by vari- ous levels of illumination the performance of ventilation systems and dust and noise measuring and control devices In addition to formulating and making recommendations relative to industrial health the McGill department cooperates with industry regarding implementation and development of equipment needed to improve hygienic and health working conditions Industrial doctors practice occupational medicine Dr. Lesage Invited as the Guest of Honour at the closing dinner of the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Doctors of Industrial Medicine Dr Michel Lesage Medical Director of the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association stated that the setting of an occupational medicine system would be of little value without the active participation of company doctors Agreeing with the idea of creating an Occupational Health Board as recommended in the report of the Committee for the study of the Health Conditions in the asbestos industry Beaudry Report Dr Lesage feels however that it would be a great mistake to entrust medical problems only to Community Health Centers Consultants According to the Association's medical director these units are above all administrative control and supervisory bodies The largest share of achievements in occupational medicine in Quebec he stated were carried out by company doctors who are truly consultants in their fields of endeavour and primarily dedicated to the health of the workers " In Dr Lesage's opinion industrial medicine specialists should be involved in the planning and study of any Bill aimed at Occupational Medicine in Qu^'- bec The company doctor is an occupational doctor who better than anyone is aware of workers prob- Tems and of their milieu as he is directly in contact with them all the time occupa- Dr Lesage also stressed that effective tional medicine should not only prevent health problems but also promote and maintain the highest degree of physical mental and social welfare of work- ers The Manville year Research at the Association Promotion of technical research and of technological development are two of the major objectives of the Qu^'becAsbestos Mining Association plan Within the framework of its activties in this area the Association has recently retained the services of an expert in noise control and industrial dust filtration techniques Geoffrey Knight The decision taken by the JohnsManville Company to pursue its investment program amouting to 77 million is part of a year plan to develop the Company's facilites * at Asbestos Essentially the program's objec- tive is to ensure over the next quar- ter century optimal annual production at the Jeffrey Mine 700 000 short tons Optimum efficiency The year plan with its three stages was announced at the beginning of April 1976 Since then a new complex has been built for constructron and maintenance purposes bringing together under one roof several different shops in order to maximize service efficency Relocalisation activities also affect a residential sector of some 250 dwellings The Manville year plan is part of an expanded construction and renovation program completed in 1974 and involving investments totalling 74 million aimed at maintaining production capacity and improving health conditions very considerably It is expected that work on expansion of the mine whose deposits have been mined for over 100 years will be completed between now and 1980 Mine expansion with a view 10 guarantee continuous supply of fibre at its present rate calls for implementation of a major refitting and relocalisation program Before joining the Association Mr Knight was employed by the Department of Energy Mines and Resources of Canada where he was involved with research on dust and the environment While at the Department he developed a sampling system of respirable dust and an analysis system with quartz SiO2 assesment by ray diffraction In his new assignment Mr Knight will act as an advisor to the asbestos industry in dust measuring and con- trol matters He will be stationed at Thetford Mines and his office will be located in the industrial cli- nic Exchange programs Mr Knight's appointment was preceeded by the hiring of Marc Trudeau Geological Engineer and specialist in analysis instrumentation as Research Advisor for the Association He has been holding the position for the last few months Mr. Trudeau is mainly responsible for establishing a continuing exchange program with scientists and researchers studying properties of asbestos fibres New facilities Thus we are proceeding with con- struction of new administrative offices and relocalisation of main storage areas the mechanical shop and the shovel shop This also applies to the effluent purification plant Mr Trudeau was among the ex- perts called upon by the Investigation Committee on Hygiene in the Asbestos Industry to assist in the preparation of its report 3 | Bulletin Health hygiene and environment Bell Asbestos modernization program is well underway ," Phase [1 of Bell Asbestos renovation modernization and building beginning of 1977 completed work required expenditures of 5 700 000 program which it has been involved in since 1973 should be completed this summer The entire program Uninterrupted production \ representing investments of around \ $ million is essentially aimed at \ optimum elimination of dusl sources \ in the process plant and in the Com- pany's other facilities at Thetford Mines In addition to construction of a new building all other renovation and modernization work will ensure in the original facilities effective environmental control and perform- ance calibre similar to that which According to the Company's Pres- will be obtained in the new building All work has been conducted with- ident Marcel Dorais Bell Asbestos tackled the hygiene problem in its entirety and worked towards solu- = out any interruptions to production operations All conveyors and sifters are tions which meet the objectives set gradually being covered to eliminate by public authorities for hygiene and = dusl emission Push cush- health at work ioned separators providing perfect airtightness are also being added in the new mill A new building Projects already completed which A story building was added to the existing mill and will contain the most modern equipment and tools currently available Installation of the equipment is underway and this part of the project which have notably included installation of a dust filtration system in the dryer and implementation of three dust filtration systems in no 3 shaft have resulted in a 50 decrease in the dust level also includes relocation of existing equipment to the crushing section Automation is now 85 completed Phase I which is also presently New projects being currently studied deal with improvement of hygienic conditions in the ore ware- underway includes relocation and modernization of machinery in the first mill As far as engineering work related to the project is concerned most work is being carried houses where a new air purification technique will be introduced during 1977 Finally waste transportation methods at loading and dumping points have been automated at a out by company employees At the cost of 500 000 4 es ae Bell new Asbestos building the main air system filters and push pulls Considerable progress at Canadian Canadian of East Broughton IS currently conducting an air purification program started in 1976. Over 3 million are being allocated for this project alone and already considerable progress has been made in open pit as operations well as in the mill and related facilities Thus since June 1976 a new central air eduction system is providing effective and adequate ventilation throughout the entire mill By the end of the current year all sifters will be recovered and the covering of the conveyors will be completed by the beginning of 1978 New equipment Last February the Quebec Government's Environmental Protection Department authorized the Company to instal six dust filtration units The new equipment which filters a total of over 500 cubic feet of air per minute will be located in the mill the drying and packing sections the pilot plant the laboratory and the dust filtering cabins for employees In order for dust accumulation to be elim- inated more effectively all floors have been insulated and electric cables will be entirely covered The current program will also provide a link up of all existing equipment in the milt to the central eduction system as in the case now for most vibrating sifters and con- veyors An environment committee For the last year the Company has set up a special team to detect dust sources and to ensure smooth operation of the purification devices An environment committee composed of management and union representatives was formed to ensure environmental quality and to recommend the most effective ways of improving hygienic conditions Major work is currently being carried out in the analysis laboratory to eventually double its surface area Once the work is completed by September 1977. the lab will be equipped with a complete filtration heating and air conditioning system On the other hand the Company recently purchased at a cost of 000 a new drill equipped with a dust filtration system which will replace existing drills War against noise Finally in order to eliminate noise pollution as much as possible a sound room was built in the garage shop and silencers have been installed on several parts of equipment used by employees Canadian's President Mr. Prus feels that parties concerned should be reasonably happy with progress made since the start of the renovation and moderniza- tion program all the while noting that the job is not over We'll manage said Mr Prus and with the continuing cooperation of all our personnel Canadian will succeed in considerably improving hygienic conditions and meet the objectives set out in the Beaudry report | Bulletinfi Health hygiene and environment Project at the National Division of Lake Asbestos In 1976 the Lake Asbestos Com- pany began an additional modernization and air purification program at its National Division in Robertson- ville which will have required investments totalling around 3 million by 1980 Installation of ten air filtration systems at the mill and dryer was completed at the beginning of the year and the equipment is now in full operation A compressor with a capacity of 190 cu min has been installed to ensure the equipment operates smoothly The plant's hygiene will be considerably Improved due to the three new central suction systems to be put into operation at the mill dryer and crusher Magnetic concentration A new magnetic concentration system is already being used at the dryer and process plant for the ore gang waste before milling This procedure ensures in conjunction with four additional vertical mills a higher production rate Asbestos on French TV network As part of a documentary on industrial health the Lake Asbestos Company will be the subject of a television feature to be broadcast April 3rd over the French CBC net- work's Les Beaux Dimanches Canada crews visited the Company's Black Lake site where they filmed each phase of mining operations from the open mining stages see our photo to the processing plant and pressure packing For this report which was filmed in February Lionel Pluze Vice- president of the Company and Beno^fit Poulin Interim President of the Union were inter- viewed Lake Asbestos annual production 160 000 short tons has been in operation since 1957 Ten pulls cushioned separators will soon be placed into service in the plant for the first asbestos separation phase Two pressure packers have also been added to the equipment Lake Asbestos purchased National In 1973 The mill and mine which employ more than 250 people produce 000 tons of fibre annually Up to now work performed at Robertsonville has required investments of over $ million At Black Lake On the other hand the Company has finished installing at its Black Lake mill which was built in 1958 three central suction units at the process plant dryer and crusher to ensure cleanliness in the plant About 250 000 were allocated for this work The use of continually modernized technical equipment is of prime importance in dust control and hygiene in the asbestos Industry Following annual examinations conducted by the Thetford Mines Industrial Clinic and verification by the Pneumology Committee of the Workmen's Compensation Board not a single incidence of pulmonary disease was discovered among the 359 employees working for Lake Asbestos at Black Lake Tourism and recreation in the Thetford Mines region Mining is not incompatible with a pleasant style witness the pictures from a new tourism leaflet on Thet- ford Mines and region This leaflet produced by the City of Thelford Mines is meant to promote the area's main points of interest and will be widely circulated throughout Canada and the United States with the assistance of the Quebec Ministry of Tourism Fish and Game and the Canadian Tourist Bureau According to Guy Beaudoin Economic Development Manager for Thetford and one of the main forces behind regional promotion Thetford Mines owes its existence to asbestos and we are proud of it But we too often forget that the region offers the tourist several scenic sights and occasions to practice outdoor sports such as swim- ming hunting fishing camping etc Within a mile radius of Thelford are to be found no less than 12 lakes Is regrouping of mines desirable Canada Postes S Post Canada Postage paid Port paye Third Troisi^me class classe 683 Montreal P.Q. Recently the Eastern Townships Regional Development Council's Mining Committee submitted a report entitled A Qu^'bec Asbestos Policy to the Ministry of Natural Resources The Eastern Townships RDC has accomplished some very interesting work and it is fitting to recognize the commendable efforts made by its members in preparing the report The RDC report formulates two main proposals to regroup five mines located in the Thetford Lake region to be used to central treatment plant create a marketing board supply a and to Regrouping Theoretically the RDC proposal is not without a certain logic A logic which if pursued further could be applied to a great number of indus- trial sectors in Qu^'bec However all those connected with the industry who have a considerable experience in the mining opera- tions of asbestos are unanimous in affirming that in this particular field such regrouping would not improve production in any way Quite the contrary In addition the enormous invest- magnitude would signify as a direct consequence of the concentration of activities a massive lay of asbestos workers Marketing Board Following an exhaustive study of the asbestos industry situation the Ministry of Natural Resources Division of Mineral Economy and Development submitted a report in 1975 in which it concludes that such a Board would disrupt integration of the Qu^'bec mining sector into the world economy and would risk de- stroying this sector's main expensionary force in Qu^'bec The report further states Under present economic conditions where Qu^'becprimary sector can expand considerably this would not seem desirable The creation of such a board would also disrupt the rapport between producers and buyers and would necessarily lead to marketing difficulties because of its lack of know at least in the beginnings It offers no real gains since Qu^'bec asbestos marketing is presently conducted with great efficiency ments that such a project would necessitate are totally out of proportion with respect to the anticipated results Besides the fact that the RDC pro- posal would lead the closing of four plants of which three were built not so long ago a regrouping of this |Bulletin| This BULLETIN is published by the Qu^'becAsbestos Mining Association box 1643 Station B Montr^'alH3B 3L3 The Post Office Department in Ottawa has authorized postage paid in cash and forwarding of the publication by third class mail