Document MMR3wb45y0RMnjeEg7Dn3w3vy

FILE NAME Quebec Asbestos Mining Association QAMA DATE 1982 Mar DOC QAMA165 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION QAMA Bulletin Vol 6 No. 1 PUBLISHED BY L'ASSOCIATION - oe IN Interview with the President of the Association des mines d'amiante du Qu^'bec Dup^'r^' Jean President of Lac d'amiante du Qu^'becLt^'eis the new President of the Association des mines d'amiante du Qu^'becAt the beginning of his mandate he assesses the current situation and the future of the asbestos industry 1981 saw another substantial drop However there are admittedly other in deliveries of asbestos fibre What factors involved in this fall in demand have been the immediate consequences for the industry and for Qu^'becproducers in particular although it is for the moment difficult to measure to what extent Adverse publicity and proposed regulations aimed at restricting the use of asbestos con- The fact that less fibre than antici- tinue to foster research into substitute pated was delivered this year has caused a large accumulation of stock products throughout the mining industry leading naturally to sharper price competi- tion on the international markets As a result of the stock accumulation Qu^'becproducers have been forced to cut back on production In practical terms this means prolonged plant shutdowns and an unprecedented unemployment rate in the Qu^'bec asbestos region There has been a geographical shift in the asbestos markets in the last few years Was this any more noticeable in 1981 ? The trend became stronger in 1981 and I think that it will continue to do so in coming years The traditional asbestos markets in Europe and North America are at best stable and some are even regressing Consequently the marketing efforts of producers are now directed at developing countries whose needs in particular for asbestos are increasing Is the producing industry in Qu^'bec and Canada in a position to benefit from the market expansion in developing countries What are the major factors accounting for this drop in the demand for asbestos fibre The main cause of this drop is undoubtedly the economic recession which has seriously affected two major sectors of the economy the construction and auto industries the largest market outlets for asbestos fibre Even at first glance it is obvious that international competition on these markets is becoming increasingly fierce The industry in Qu^'bec and Canada must therefore become competitive if it is to take proper advantage of these markets At the outset we have the advantage of being able to offer an excellent product and a reliable source of supply L - enlabirs: I/nterview with the President of the AMAQ However this advantage must be weighed against the fact that our production and shipping costs are generally higher that those of certain rival nations This is particularly the case with the USSR and Zimbabwe whose economic structure or standard of living are quite different from our own while they are often favoured by geographical proximity These factors present certain challenges to us but they can be overcome through improved productivity and a stable and harmonious working climate On the other hand the buyer countries who cannot afford interruptions In the flow of supplies and who also want to avoid dependence on a single source are anxious to diversify their suppliers which is a point in our favour given our great capacity for supplying these markets on a rehable and continuing basis improve and hence bring about a recovery in the industrial sectors notably the construction industry which constitute the major markets for asbestos Until that time the producers of Qu^'bec and Canada will have to make every possible effort to improve their competitive position on the international markets Although each producer manages his operations as he sees fil there are At the same time the producers must also prepare for the future in order to take advantage of an eventual economic recovery * In the longer term what major challenges will specifically have to be met to assure the survival and growth of the asbestos industry In the first place we will necessarily have to neutralize the multipher effect created in the industrialized countries by the major controversy over asbeslos and health safety and the environment Now more than ever producers will have to form a common front in this matter and unwaveringly pursue their attempts to halt the antiasbestos movement Failing this action not only will the present decline of traditional markets escalate but the impact of legislation and regulations aimed at restricting the use of asbestos could in the more or less short term spread to the developing countries where the most promising markets are found In any case are the markets of the developing nations adequate enough to compensate for the stagnating traditional asbestos markets First of all it should be noted that demand in developing countries is mostly for asbestos products given their construction and irrigation needs On the other hand in industrialized countries the recession is having an effect not only on the asbestos market but on the market for other types of products thus affecting demand for certain grades of fibre In this light the declining demand for these grades of fibre cannot be entirely offset by the demand for the fibre used in manufacturing asbestos in developing nations In the short term what can the industry do to get through this difficult period without suffering too many ill effects No one at the moment can say with any certainty when the economy will nevertheless certain material constraints that are common to the indusIry as a whole and that call for similar solutions Indeed all producers have been affected by the constantly rising cost of energy and of the goods and services used by the producing industry Similarly each of them is faced with the increasing cost of labour To alleviate these problems in the immediate future producers must make the best possible use of the equipment and materials at their disposal and generally improve productivity in their mines and mills In the pursuit of these objectives I think that consideration will have to be given to regrouping the entire Canadian industry into a truly Canadian organization having close ties with the federal government and the provincial governments concerned Such an organization could lead to the creation of a national information centre exclusively devoted to the defence and promotion of asbestos in Canada and around the world On another level although still with the purpose of securing the future is equaly important to promote the development of new products and of new applications that use asbestos safely in order to offset the foreseeable disappearance of mature products and the appearance in some applications of viable substitutes From this standpoint it might be desirable for the Institut de Recherche et de D^'veloppementsur l'Amiante lo increasingly orient its work toward the implementation of projects for the 2 development of products and techniques promoting the use of asbestos What does the industry expect of the World Symposium on Asbestos with regard to the image of asbestos Actually the Symposium is the responsibility of the Canadian and Qu^'becgovernments jointly with the Commission of the European Com munities The mining industry is also involved as one of the economic partners with an interest in asbestos along with the scientific and medical community and the labour movement We nevertheless subscribe to the orientation of this unprecedented international conference inasmuch as we must trust that an exhaustive evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of asbestos based on the most recent scientific medical and technological data will introduce the possibility of reconciling in this par- ticular case economic and commercral interests with social preoccupa- tions including the quality of life The importance the industry attaches to the Symposium and its keen interest in this international event stern from our conviction that a truly objective overall view of the current asbestos situation and an honest and Tair debate on the major issues that form the core preoccupation of those concered in various ways with asbestos can but promote the rehabilitation of the product and show that society can live with asbestos Generally speaking what kind of future do you foresee for the industry term In short given the economic situation the asbestos industry will be lacing a difficult period of indeterminate length However sooner or later the econorny will recover its vitality and the industry may enjoy a revival still on the condition that the action taken to rehabilitate the product's image and to create new markets has a positive impact These are in fact essental conditions to the viability and growth of the asbestos industry and particularly of a mining industry una- ble to recycle its production New AMAQ Board of Directors Jean Dup^'r^'President of Lac d'amiante du Qu^'becLt^'ewas elected President of the Association des mines d'amiante du Qu^'becfor the year 1982 at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Association He succeeds Michael Prus . The other directors are JP Power Chairman and President of JahnsManville Canada Inc who is the AMAQ's representative to the Govern- ing Council of the AIA and Michael Prus President of Canada Inc There are two chairmanship changes on the AMAQ committees Michael Prus is the new Chairman of the Public Relations Committee succeeding JRM Hutcheson who retired in 1981. Bernard Coulombe Plant Engineer Manville Canada replaced D Williams in July 1981 as Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee Other committee chairmen are Uniform Classification and Grading Committee Keith S Jackson Vice- President Mineral Processing Les Mines c'amiante Bell Technical Com- mittee EJ Day Manager Engineering and Technical Services JohnsManville Canada Industrial Relations Committee RB RB Gresham Presi- dent and Mine Manager Manvi- lle Canada Health Safety and Compensation Committee Jean Dup^'r^' President Lac d'amiante du Qu^'bec Transportation Committee RP Gagnon President Marketing Lac d'amiante du Qu^'becLegislation and Taxation Committee post to be filled Occupational Health and Hygiene Committee Dr Michel Lesage Medical Advisor to the Association b="ean.| Tobacco and lifestyle the chief causes of cancer Quantitative estimates of cancer risks in the United States attribute 65 of the current total number of deaths caused by common types of cancer to tobacco and to lifestyle more specifically nutritional factors Tobacco is considered responsible for 30 of these cancer deaths and diet for 35 These estimates were made by researchers Richard Doll and Richard Peto of Oxford University England in a study commissioned by the Office of Technology Assessment of the US Congress Three concurrent studies The results obtained by Doll and Peto Table ) from a nation depth study of a wide range of epidemiological data clearly tally with those presented by Higginson and Muir following a similar study of cancer cases in the Birmingham region of England Table 2 They also agree with those of Wynder and Gori who analyzed the cancer incidence in a smaller American population group Table 3 than that studied by Peto The similarity of the results of these three studies appears to indicate that the mcidence of cancer would vary very little from one scale to another and from one country to another Table 1 PERCENTAGES OF CANCER DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT FACTORS FACTORS Factor or class of factors Best estimate Range of estimates Tobacco Alcohol Diet Food additives Reproductive and sexual behavior Occupation Pollution Industrial products Medicines and medical procedures Geophysical factors Infection Unknown 30 3 AK AK ^ NAN ^ NAN ^ NAN ^ NAN s^ws^ws^w- s^w- 25-40 25-40 25-40 24 70 -5-2 13 2-8 < < 05 2-4 7 ? is therefore more than likely that Doll and Peto's facfor comparison table can be applied to all industrialized countries and particularly to Canada where living habits are very similar to those found in the United States Occupation responsible for approximately % of cancer deaths Only % of all cancer deaths are attributed to occupation by the authors They point out however that this facfor lends to be concentrated among a relatively small number of individuals for whom the risk of developing the dis ease may be high On the other hand according to the researchers these risks can be reduced and even elminated as soon as they are clearly identified Table 2 PERCENTAGES OF CANCER CASES ATTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT FACTORS Factor or class of factors Male Female Tobacco Tobacco alcohol style Occupation Sunlight lonizing radiations Iatrogenic medical Congenital Unknown 848801-25 1280-2E 84801-25 3 848801-25 63 84801-25 1280-2E 848801-25 12820--2E 8401-25 1280-2E 8401-25 1280-2E 84801-25 12820-2E 848801-25 11 * Higginson and Muir - Birmingham England Table 3 PERCENTAGES OF CANCER CASES ATTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT FACTORS Factor or of class factors Male Tobacco 28 Tobacco 4 Diel 40 Occupation 4 and Sunlight ionizing radiations 8 Exogenous hormones - Congenitaanld unknown 16 Female 8 1 57 2 8 4 20 * Dolland Pelo - United States Wynder and Gori -- United States In certain sections of the population therefore greater attention than would be indicated by the factor comparison table must be brought to bear on the detection and prevention of cancer risks linked to occupation Nevertheless it must not be forgotten that the chief causes of 65 of all Common Cancers are still tobacco and diet By comparison factors connected with the work environment only play a secondary role The results of the Doll and Peto study show how important it is to carefully weight each of the causes of cancer because underestimating the effects of certain factors such as tobacco and lifestyle may have grave conse- quences The U.S. Public Health Service confirms findings A report recently published by the U.S Government Public Health Service supports the findings of the Doll and Peto study Based on data concerning the effects of tobacco which have been compiled since 1964 the American report states that tobacco's contribution to all cancer deaths is estimated to be 30 As well as pointing out that smoking is the main cause of lung cancer the report links smoking with other forms of cancer such as throat larynx bladder kidney and pancreas cancer According to the data cited 412 000 American deaths have been attributed to cancer in 1980 and this figure is expected to grow to 430 000 in 1982 The 30 proportion means lobacco alone could contribute to 128 000 of these deaths this year The authors of the report believe 85 of lung cancers and between 22 and 38 of all cancers would be prevented if Americans slopped smoking Their opinion coincides with that of Doll and Peto according to which clear identification of the causes of cancer will lead to a decrease in and even elimination of cancer risks Substitutes the unknown factor The introduction of various products on the market as for substitules asbestos raises the whole problem of the safety aspect of these products Indeed although the health hazards Involved in the use of asbestos are known and hence easier to control this is not necessarily the case for the substitutes whose potential harmful effects are often unknown is therefore encouraging to see a recom- mendation on the subject in a report submitted to the Governing Body the ILO by a group of experts brought together by this organization to study safety in the use of asbestos The approach advocated in the group's report requires that all substitute products be subjected before use to thorough testing to ensure they are not introducing unexpected hazards and to determine their degree of safety Mineral wool It would be appropriate to mention here the results of a Swedish study dealing with mineral wool This study found among other things that mineral wool fibres have carcinogenic effects on animals Although epidemiological studies have not established that there is an increased risk of cancer among workers exposed to these fibres the authors of the study feel there is reason 10 fear for the future as the production of mineral wool grows especially since the industry is making increased use of long and thin fibres the very ones suspected of being carcinogenic It may be recalled that it was as a result of much more conclusive and thorough studies that Sweden adopted very strict regulations governing the use of asbestos I might therefore be advisable to delve further into the effects of nol just mineral wool but all the products that are accepted today as valid asbestos substitutes Baa MES es Defending asbestos calls for collective action Activities in 1981 In this regard I feel we can be proud of the work accomplished in the past year through the Association In particular I am thinking of the excellent quality from the technological scientific and medical standpoints of the representations made by AMAQ on behalf of the industry to the Ontario Royal Commission of inquiry into asbestos In the twelve months that have one of the most difficult periods in its passed since our Association's last history and there is no sign on the general meeting the outlook for the Immediate horizon thal a speedy asbestos industry which was not very recovery will take place Meanwhile bright at the end of 1980 has grown Inventory is accumulating at an _ even dimmer unprecedented pace It is little consolation to observe that the difficulties facing our industry are caused primarily by unfavourable economic conditions affecting the entire Western World conditions from which virtually no industrial or manufacturing sector is exempt As far as asbestos is concerned whether it be in the mining or manufac- turing sectors -- the negative effects of this situation are in direct proportion to the decline of both the building and construction industry and the automobile industry which represent 70 and 10 respectively of the fibre market Under the circumstances just mainlaining a viable level of production requires and will continue to require greater effort and increased vigilance with regard to marketing boasting productivity and remaining on a par with international competition A collective effort In this respect is up to each individual producer to manage his own affairs Nevertheless there are some areas of intervention that necessitate a concerted effort and a pooling of intellectual and material resources by the industry as a whole There was also the extremely welldocumented report submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Labour in which the Association clearly demonstrated that the draft regulation prepared by the Ministry to lower the standard for asbestos exposure in the workplace had no scientific basis and could not be justified either medically socially or economically At the international level AMAQ and other members of the Institul de la M^'decine du Travail et de l'Environnement played a major role at the third biennial conference of the Asbestos International Association heid in London last May Indeed to a large extent it was the initiative of the Canadian producers that was responsible for the AIA's adoption of an inter- national code of good practice establishing rules of ethical conduct for both producers and users of asbestos The relative increase in demand for asbestos in developing countries does not begin lu make up for the significant drop that has occurred in the industrialized nations which represent thirds of the market for Qu^'becproduced asbestos fibre This is especially the case in dealing with another cause of the decline in fibre sales naniely the adverse publicity asbestos has received and the resulting stream of regulations aimed at limiting its use and sometimes even banning it outright Downward trend The resulting downward Irend in delivery levels that continued throughout 1981 caused a major reduction in mine production which in turn gave rise and continues to give rise to shortened work periods temporary layoffs and in some cases more or less prolonged stoppages in mining and processing operations Despite the measures taken to rationalize production the entire asbestos mining industry is experiencung both financially and economically When it comes to promoting and defending our product to changing public opinion about asbestos and ensuring that the industry's point of view is well represented in the intense controversy surrounding the fibre ar when it comes to supporting and guiding research and development efforts geared to product safety and new applications there is everything to be gained by acting collectively Indeed this is the very purpose of bringing producers logether in an association such as ours In addition AMAQ's member.com- member.companies have continued to lend very substantial support through the IRDA for research and development and they have been particularly helpful in encouraging innovation aimed at developing new applications for asbestos The Symposium On another front it is common knowledge that the Association and the Institut de la M^'decinedu Travail et de l'Environnement have been closely associated with the project sponsored by the governments of Canada and Qu^'becand the Commission of the European Communities to hold a World Symposium on Asbestos in May 1982 an idea thal originated during an international conference on communications organized by AMAQ at Montebello in the Spring of 1980 6 From the start this vast and ambitious project whose aim is to develop as objective and complete an analysis as possible of the current asbestos situation in light of the many controversies surrounding it has received the full support of the mining industry Recommendations to the ILO Just as the Symposium is likely to be the outstanding event of 1982 in the asbestos sector the highlighotf 1981 was undoubtedly the encouraging development within the International Labour Office as a result of the conclusions and recommendations of a meeting of experls convened by the ILO's Governing Boby to study safety in relation to asbestos use According to these experts the risk connected with exposure to asbestos dust can be reduced by minimizing the exposure They also determined that there is no reason for asbestos lo be replaced by other substances unless the latter offer equal technical advantages while being provedly less harmful In other words the experts convened by the ILO do not recommend that asbeslos be banned but rather con trolled Moreover they favour substitution only on the express condition that the substitutes offer equal technical advantages and have undergone extensive testing prior to use in order to determine their degre of safety and ensure that they do nol introduce other unforeseen hazards While not necessarily agreeing with all of the conclusions and recommendations in the ILO report we could not help but be pleased that the direction taken by the experts who met in October 1981 in Geneva tends to indicate a return to a certain degree of common sense A word of thanks I would not wish to conclude this rather sketchy review of the past year without mentioning the retirement of two of AMAQ's directors Mike Messel and Bob Hutcheson Both of these men dedicated most of their working lives to the asheslos industry an industry they had intimate knowledge of As executives they were universally respected and their strong personalities profoundly influenced the asbestos indus try for many years especially with regard the activities of this Associa tion over which they presided numerous limes The entire asbestos community is deeply indebted to Mr Messel and Mr Hutcheson for their invaluable contributions and we sincerely wish them the happiest of retirements For us and for their successors on AMAQ's board of directors Messrs Dup^'r^'and Power the struggle con- tinues * Remarks by Michael Prus outgoing President of the Association des mines d'amiante du Qu^'becat the 33rd General Meeting of the Association Internationally speakers to address World Symposium on Asbestos Many internationally scientists have agreed to be guest speakers and panelists at the World Symposium on Asbestos scheduled to take place in Montr^'alin May organizers have ensured the participation of highlyqualified speakers and panelists to deal with the social and economic aspects of the controversy surrounding 1982 asbestos Among the prominent individuals from the scientific and medical communities who have confirmed their participa- on as speakers are from the United States Drs Irving Selikoff John Higginson and Philip Enterline from Canada Drs Corbett and Alison McDonald from the UK Drs Julian Peto and JC JC Wagner from France Professors Ren^' Truhaul and Jean Bignon from West Germany Prof D Schmaehl and Dr S Dobbertin from the Netherlands Dr R Lanting as well as many other researchers epidemio- logists toxicologists and specialists in occupational medicine who within the framework of the Symposium will be making a comprehensive medico scientific asesment of the current asbestos situation Government and union representation In addition to the important contribution to this international gathering by the scientific community Symposium Among those who will be addressing the Symposium on these issues are such distinguished individuals as Charles Levinson of the International Chemical Employees Federation Ann Gorsuch Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency William J Simpson Chairman of Great Britain's Health and Sately Commission and Dr William Hunter responsible for Occupational health and safety in the Commission of the European Communities A total of 72 speakers and panelists from government departments and agencies unions industry and the scientific and medical community will take part in the program of the Symposium Coming from 14 different European Asian African and North American countries they represent virtually the entire body of current world opinion on asbestos Asbestos production in 1981 The decline in construction activity in the whole Western World and the difficulties experienced by the North American automobile industry in 1981 have brought about a marked drop in demand for asbestos and friction products This resulted in a substantial decrease in fibre deliveries for the Canadian producing industry particularly for grades 4 5 and 6 Qu^'bec Qu^'bec deliveries not including production from the Asbestos Hill deposit amounted to 929 229 metric tonnes against 716 tonnes in 1980 a decrease of 10.5 109 487 tonnes The value of Qu^'bec deliveries is estimated to be about 456 million compared with an approximate value of 495 million in 1980 a decrease of some % It must be stressed that this drop is partly due to the fact that a greater proportion of short fibre was delivered this year The value of this fibre is lower than that of longer grade 4 5 and 6 fibres 1980 a drop of 796 tonnes or 10.2 The approximate value of Canadian deliveries amounted to 561 million a 2.4 decrease compared with the previous year when sales totalled about 575 million Qu^'bec's share of the total Canadian deliveries remained roughly the same at 86 while British Columbia's deliveries dropped from 95 710 tonnes in 1980 to 80 196 tonnes in 1981 a 16.2 decrease and Newfoundland's climbed from 68 085 tonnes in 1980 to 290 tonnes in 1981 a 3.2 increase It should be mentioned here that all production ceased in Newfoundland on December 31 1981 with the closing of the Advocate mine Prospects for 1982 It is already clear that the stock accumulation resulting from the 1981 slump in sales will lead to a decrease in 1982 production levels Further- more unless the adverse economic situation prevailing throughout the Western World recovers further drops in demand must be expected in 1982 The short prospects therefore are not very encouraging for the asbestos industry as a whole The ore extracted from Asbestos Hill is processed in the Federal Republic of Germany intonnes , 1981 715 929 229 Canada Canadian deliveries of asbestos fibre in 1981 were 079 metric tonnes against 202 tonnes in 80 196 70 290 YBulleti_ni This BULLETIN is published by l'Association des mines d'amiante du Qu^'bec 1130 Sherbrooke Street West Suite 410 Montr^'alH3A 2M8 The Post Office Department in Ottawa has authorized postage paid in cash and forwarding of the publication by third class mail MR BARRY CASTLEMAR CASTLEMAR 1722 LINDEN AVE BALTIMORE MD 21217 U.S.A. i+ Canada Post Postage paid Postes Canada Port paye Bulk third class En nombre _ troisi^me classe 264 Montr^'alP.Q.