Document 9rBEmrYNqZ4a27NRaQ6vDQD6

THE MONTREAL STAR - March 20, 1975 Chief doctor says he tried -l Ho be human' By CLAUDE AltPfff The central figure in the current controversy surrounding health hazards faced by asbestos workers in Thelford Mines is a C7-ycar-oId doctor whose policy was "In dp as mnrh ynnd for the workers as pos-^ sible without harming them.1' Dr. Paul Cartier, who operated on this principle when director. n[ the companies* clinic which cheeked workers for passible nsbcsios-rclnlcd lung ailments, admils he did not Insist that alfcded workers leave their jobs and seek workman's compensation benefits. T. earlier, who ran the clinic . law tinlll last year, says lie "Evro If they had left their work completely and gone on lo drive cabs, for instance, it might not hare arrested the progressive effects of as- bestosis. "So 1 figured it was In their best ' uied to do nty best; to be human." "When a worker cnine lo me and 1 saw tram his x-rays that he had slight abnormalities in his lungs, I told him. in an effort to be ns hu manitarian as possible:'"Look, you've1 got the slinllt Wrnmnnt at a tnnp problem. Now, arc you happy at your job? Do you want to slay there? Or do you wish to apply (or compensation and be transferred elsewhere in the plant? If you slay where you are It won't affect vour condition mat muen and if you become incapacitated you can always apply for compensation then/ sides, 7hry didn't want to be reported ill and transterred lo a lower-paying job where they might have earned as much ns fSO less a week. "And -if f had reported them III nnd brought about their transfer to lower-paying jobs, the unions would have lodged grievances nnd the work ers would hare been reinstated to their former Jobs anyway/' Cartier says it is "still debatable'* whether asbestosis would have sub sided in a patient who was removed from an asbestos polluted environ ment (lie minute the disease was di agnosed. _ _ Dr. rant Cartier "From what modem, in e d i c i n e fcnons about the disease, there ap pears to be a slight progression even atler'conlacl with asScs(5sTibrcs`has' ceased." Itc admits there were "a few un fortunate Incidents" invoHing w orkers wJu) died a few montlis after receiv ing n clean bill ot health from liis clinic. "Uul most ot these deaths seemed In tic the result of heart problems, which may or may not likvc ucen connected to lung ailments." Cartier says, however, that when a Sec DOCTOR, Page A-Z ' Doctor felt it best for men to stay on Continued from Page A-l person has an asbestos-related lung ailment, (lie right ventricle of his L which operates in conjunetloa ,,'tlie lungs, his lo work overtime nnd this could lead to a fatal enlarge- . meat ot theverllcle. "But It Is so hard to show a direct relationship between the two ftuiig .. disease and lienrt failure) that Mont real's two ton pathologists refuse systematically to perform autnnsii* on tins tViie nt ftf-alli hw.-iuo- ilir'v krtnir they can't prove the relationship In the cvcnf of a court case." While Cartier freely admits he acouiesixd to works* wishes ta remain at their lobs In anile of the hazards, be vehemently denies any collusion Ten himsetf and the mining com s which paid hb salary and for tlr upkeep of the clinic. *t can swear that I was never' given any directives by the compa nies and that I acted solely on the basis ot mv ex tens Ir draining in ' seme of the world's leading medical centres." Union claims that Cartier was re luctant to refer workers to the Work men's Compensation Board because lire companies W"' *" r*r damp sum compensation premiums-^ are `'totally false." he say*. "I worked on the principle that If the worker showed a slight trace ot asbestosts I warned him about It and let him decide it. lie wanted ta re main at Ids job. . "My policy was to Cry and do as much good (or him as was possible without causing 1dm any harm. "t was acting on behalf of the worker who was worried about losing income. I wasn't doing It for pecuni ary rewards from the companies. I've never been one to go in for that sort of thing. I worked myself through medical school by keeping a job at the post oftice front 6 pun. to 3 tun. every day. "But no matter what I say. people are still going lo think that I bad sold out to the companies. I just tried to do my best" Cartier says that throughout his career at the clinic lie was under the impression that If the condition of workers was being made worse by_ cir continuca exposure to asbestos" fibres this fact would hare been brought to his attention bv the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association. "The association was forever fi nancingjKStlyjrescareh-proJects, and Impressive medical-teams, visited my clinic from leading bospitnts in De troit, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburg. "I would hare mide recommenda tions for Improving working condi tions but I was hampered by these big-name teams which spent up to two months at a time here. "They spent an enormous amount of money and I figured that If there was anything wrong with our opera tion they would have made recom mendations to Ihe companies. "When they came I reproached them on the fact that they didn't seem to follow up (heir tests with recommendations for improving work ing eon',i,i""* ASARCO ALV 0003065 THE MONTREAL STAR - March 20, t975 "They could have made a rrr.-it conlribulion idthrall their up-to-date experuse. They were in a belter posl(ion Uun our liltte clinic which was isolated from medical centres. I lliought they would recommend im provements to tiic 'ndustry but they never seemed lodolL "I was open to recommendations. But it fcas embarrassing (or n little Freni-h-r-anaHian rtnelpr <" the hmn. docks tike me to come along after nil (Inse big shots and (ell the Industry to make Improvements. 'The companies would surely have told me to mind my own -business, that the leading world experts had found nothing to complain about, so who was 1 to add my two cents worth. "I guess I was too Cmid; I should have spoken out. My friends have always told me that I'm too timid." . Cartier remains sceptical, how ever, about the validity of the recent Mount Sinai study which found a very high incidence of lung disease among veteran Thclford Mines work ers. He snys that`during contract nego tiations w ich led to live violent and bitter asbestos strike of 1919, sought to dramatize inctr demands by trying to establish a link between asbestos mining and tuberculosis. The asbestos workers now ore on strike for the first time since" 19(9 and safety: causes are among their chief de mands. "Today, Hie same thing Is frue and In order to make their point that -mining asbestos leads fo asbestosis, they commissioned Dr. Irving Sclikoff of the Mount Sinai College of Medi cine in New York lo study tlic situa tion here. "Now. it Is common knowledge in our field that Selikott Undt mn p--- cent more abnormalities In lung x- rsys than anyone USE "When you read x-rays -- and I used to read 10.000 a year In my day -- you can over-read, lindcr-tead i\ ,-^_^rrive at a happy medium. s '-y "Sclikoff over-reads and the unions ( knew that and that's why they went alter him." Cartier says that by over-reading, any doctor can look at x-rm of the lungs of persons over age SO In any line of work and discover "all sorts of abnormalities." ........ cClinic revampedf says new chief By JOSH FREED ford Mines companies have spent 89 ' THETFOItD MINES - Tile asbes tos companies'-clinic here has been revamped, says Dr. Michel Lessee. the man responsible ' lor the clinic million on ventilation alone In the last five years, but adds "U Is not enough" In light of the Mount Sinai results. since April, 1974. Lesagc, filling the newly created post of company "medical advisor." Is a doctor, lawyer and radiologist whose most recent position was ad visor to the ministry of social affairs. Lesage has hired a new physician, Richard Lambert to replace Dr. Paul Cartier, lormer head and now con sultant at the clinic. Cartier will re tire in June. "I think It was a good clinic when it was set up," Lesage said, "but In recent years It had fallen somewhat behind the times." " Tlie companies should have taken slcos lo update the clinic's operation earlier, he said, but added that un ions and government .also .could have taken more initiative In improving conditions. Asbestos Lesage said that as of Jan. 1 the clinic was completely revamped, with the addition of modem -enuioment. and a policy of c o m pLe te.medicai y; fsafety to check-ups. Previously, workers had been checked only for asbestos-re lated diseases. "Anyone with lunrr warring nr m. be tightened bestos-relalcd diseases will be. sent for an Immediate examination lit the W o r k m a n's Compensation Board clinic in Montreal, so that.no one will suddenly surface with disabilities higher than 10 per cent," Lambert said. "But I'm sure It will take time to re-establish the cl 1 n I c *s credibility. Many workers appear to have lost conijdence In it.'' Lesage Intends - lo press for Im The Star's Quebec Bureau QUEBEC -- Toucher lnsocetlon and stiffer' fines will be introduced early this year lo control conditions linznrdous lo Quebec asbestes miners. Mines and Natural Resources Minis ter Gilles Masse announced yester day. But the minister (old the national assembly the existing air pollution standards would remain In force. provements In the area of disease Masse said the number of mine prevention as well. He saysth^Tbel- Inspectors would be Increased to 21 from IT and spot checks would be made without advising tbe union and comoany In advance. He said the practice In (he past had been lo give 24 hours notice of* visit by an inspector so that the un ions could arrange Is have a repre sentative available. X. Masse said the present svstem ot . fines, providing (or a 229-a-day pen alty (or a eompa'ny viola ling the lutes, were "very minimal, ridicu lous." The minister said he was unable to say yet bow slid the new fines would be. .. * The pre sent on-the-job pollution limit ot five a-bestos fibres per cubic centimetre et air willrcmatnln force. Masse said. Tlie level is accepted by VS. au thorities. he said. A reduction (olwo fibres per cubic. ccnlimelrt. as de- . minded by the Canadian union, is "not technically possible,"Masse said. ASARCO ALV 0003066