Document zzYQm2j3kEGzE7Q3d1ro3bZ3n

FILE NAME: Asbestos Mining (ASMI) DATE: 2006 Oct DOC#: ASMI036 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Journal Article - Mining and Mendacity, or How to Keep a Toxic Product in the Marketplace Mining and Mendacity, or How to Keep a Toxic Product in the Marketplace JO C K M CCULLOCH, PHD TTofhaesbcoesrtrouspbtieognanofwmitehdtihcaelCevaindaednicaen ambionuets.thQeuheabzeacrdast companies have always claimed that asbestos is safe and that there is little or no disease among Canadian oconnedtiitmioensboinasttheed mteinneosfwtheere1h3amrsihn,easnind Cthaenamdiall.sWwoerrek miners. The industry's management of medical knowl edge has been the key to the continued use of asbestos. fQuulleobfeacirbmoirnnees fiwbeerr.eGwivhenerteheosciczuepoaftitohneailndaussbtreys,totshies should first have been identified, but research at the JohInns-M19a3n0viltlhe,e Tpurrinnecrip&al Nmewanaullfa(cTtu&rNer)s,, ainndclPudhiilnigp mstainffeesdwbays cdoomnepainnycdoomcptoarnsy. Stoiwncnes,twhehelaretecl1i9n2ic0sswUe.Sre. Cinatroeys,pahrerraensgoefdianfclauretneclet.haTthdeivairdreadngtheemgelnotbaalssmuarerdkeat mpaarienntat icnoemd pthanatietshearnedisthlietitlreCifaannaydidainsesausbesaidmiaorniegsmhainvee supply of asbestos and set prices to the companies' advantage. It in effect guaranteed the industry's prof whaosrkbeeresn. Adsubeesttoostihseincotenxdtiitleiownsoriknetrhs,atthienydhuasvtreycalanidmneodt, ictoambilpiatyniaensdcocureldatfeldouarifsrham.2'3ewCoarnkadwaitwhians wthheickheythtoe bthige tthoeshinahpeertehnet ddiasncgoeurrsseofabasobuetsttohse. Tusheaftulfnicetsisonofcoasnbtienstuoess. global industry. Most of the asbestos used in the United States during the twentieth century was mined in Key words, asbestos; industry influence; Canada. Quebec, which at one time boasted ten of the 13 mines INT J OCCUP ENVIRON HEALTH 2005; 11:398-403 itnheClaanrgadesat. oTpheeny-pinitcalusbdeesdtotshemJienfefrienytMheinweo, rwldh.iJcohhwnass- he global asbestos industry was bom in the final MaInnviClleancaodnatroaslleedlsoewvehre4re0,%thoef Cinadnuasdtiraynroeulitepdutu.4pon dmeicnaedseisn Coafntahdea, nSionuettheAenfrtihca,ctehnetuSroyv. ieBtyUn1i9o2n0, sthivee miteimnessintothperomdauncuefaficbteurrechoefaapslbye.sTtohseprmodosutctesxspuecnh atunrde SoofuatshbeersntoRs-hboasdeedsiparsoudpupcltisedinfiWbeersfteorrnthEeumroapneuafancWdasabgreaskeanlidnilnagbsoarnadmionusunltaetdiontowleerses tthheanraw40m%atoerfiathlse. North America. Large companies such as Turner & Newall (U.K.) and Johns-Manville (U.SA) owned final cost of production.4 Canadian asbestos could be produced for less than $35 a ton, and it proved Canadian and South African mines in what was an early twentieth-century example of vertical integration. In extremely profitable for Johns-Manville and its com petitors such as Philip Carey to operate their own tpheeakOeEdCDinsttahtees t1h9e70msa, nwufiathctuwreoroldfwasidbeestposropdruocdtuicotns mines.5 To make the mines safe would have eroded profits, and the comparative advantage of asbestos over exceeding five million tons per annum. Despite the known dangers, today more than two million tons of synSthinectiecsthweoulaldteha1v9e20bse,enU.lSo.st.parent companies and cahroryusnodtilteh,e owrorwldhieteacahsybeeasrt.o*sBaerseidmesidnoedmiannadtinsghwipopreldd itshleiitrtleCoanrandoiadnisseuabsesiadmiaorinegs hmaivneemwaoirnktearisn.eAdsbtheasttotshiserine tursaedoefinasabsebsetostsoisn, Cdeavnealdoaphinags acgogurnetsrsiievselaynpdrohmasouteseddthites ttehxetislepewciofrikcercso,nsdoittihoenys hianvethcaltaiimneddu,sthraysabnedenndout ethteo influence in international forums to protect its export markets.f Canadian producers and their U.S. parent inherent dangers of the mineral. That fiction continues to shape the discourse about the usefulness of asbestos, and has enabled the industry to keep its products in the marketplace. UniRveercseiityv,edMfreolmbotuhreneS,chAouosltoraflSiao.ciaSluSpcpioenrtceedanbdy PtlhaennAinugs,tRraMliaITn Research Council. ASBESTOSIS Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jock McCul loch, Social Science and Planning, RMIT, GPO Box 2476V, Mel Asbestosis is a form of pneumoconiosis caused by the bourne 3001, Australia; e-mail: <jock.mcculloch@rmitedu.au>. inhalation of asbestos fiber. As lung tissue loses its elas While there were three major commercial varieties of asbestos, chrysotile (white), amosite (brown), and croddolite (blue), over 90% of the fiber used during the twentieth century was chrysotile. itincgitya, pitrsogcarepsasciivtye stohofrutnncetsisonofisbrreeadtuhc.eTdh, ethdeirseebaysecmauasy fFor an account of Canada's attempts to retain access to the French market for its asbestos see Sentes.1 rneusmulbt eirnofapcarpieprpslionngafsibbersotsoissi.s aBpepgeinanreindgininthe19B2r4it,isha 398 Medical Journal In February 1928, Merewether and Price began a study in response to emerging evidence of disease in U.K. factories.6By 1930, it was well under satnododthtahtaatfatesbretsetnosyiseawrsasoaf esmeripoluosymfibernots,iisnodfusthtreylwunogrks, ers had a 50% chance of disability,3Asbestosis could be fatal and would progress even when exposure had cMeaesreewd.ethIenr naotemdemthoatraansdbuesmtosipsuwbalsisahemdorien se1r9io3u3s, disease than silicosis. It destroyed the body's reserve capacity to resist other infections, so even a moderate degree of disability could be life-threatening.7 Since 80% of the asbestos imported into the United Kingdom cbaemtweefernomtheCtawnoadsae,ttainnygsmwaajsorunvlaikriealtyio. n in disease rates asbWesittohsisnofotacbulsesedexucpepotniotnhse, ftahcetoreyarwlyorlkiteerrsatiunreWeosnt enront wEurirtotepneawbhooutmthaedemaesnb,eswtoosm-beans,eadnpdrocdhuilcdtsre. nItwwhaos mined asbestos in Canada and Southern Africa. Labor ecsopnedciitailolnysfoinr bAlafcrikcawnormkeinrse.s Inwe1re928n,otFo.riWou. sSlyimbsaodn,, from the South African Institute for Medical Research, ppousbtl-imshoerdtema smhaotretriaarltifcrloemona sfmibarollsinsu. mObnerexoafmSionuitnhg ern Rhodesian miners, Simson found curious yellow bodies in sections of lung tissue.8 Simson had no data orensetahrechssuubgjegcetsst'edwtohrakt mhisintoerrisesfa, cbeudtaartiskthoef cleoansttrahcits ingAafsabresmtoosrise.important study of South African miners was completed in 1930 by George Slade, a physician Temrapnlsovyaeadl, awthtihceh Nweaws oApmeriaatnetdhubsymT&inNe ,inSltahdee Ehaasdtenron xe-xraamy ienqautiiopnmoenf te,ascoh hoef trheelimedinueprso.nHae cfoaruenfdulthpahty7si0c%al of these workers had shortness of breath and almost all sausbffeesrtoedsisf.roHme wcoeingchltuldoesds, tthhaettwovoecrlahsaslifc tshyempmtoilml asnodf mine workers had that disease.9By matching work his tories against medical profiles, Slade was able to estab lish an association between exposure levels and illness. Despite their importance, Slade never published his results, nor was his thesis cited in the literature. He attended no conferences, and as far as is known, he nMeivneers aocrtedHeaasltah.coHnasvuilntagntcofomrptlheetedDeppaathrt-mbreenatksinogf raensdeasrpcehn,t Sthlaedreeslteoftf hthisecainredeursatrsya aglemnoersatlipmrmacetditiiaotneelyr iInslaJnodhs.anHneensbevuerrg agbaeifnorweorrkeetdiriinn gthetofietlhdeo fCohcacnunpeal wtiohnicahl dhoecaultmh.e1n0tTs hthee SnoaumthesAanfrdicaadndrMesesdeiscaolf aRlelgpihsytesri, cians, has no record of Slade's having practiced medi cinCeainnaSdoaupthroAdufrcicead. far more asbestos than did South ern Rhodesia, with its mines supplying most of the fiber used by U.S. industry. Canada had a developed econ otemctyeadnbdy, itnhethleaowr,yuantlliekaestt,hCeairnaSdoiuatnhwAofrrkiecrasnwceoruenptreor parts. In 1930, Dr. Frank Pedley, then director of the DineMpaorntmtreeanlt, opfuIbnldisuhsetdriatwl Ho yagrtiiecnleesaotnMacsGbeilsltoUsnisiv.JerTshitey Department had been set up by the Metropolitan Life ItinosnuroanncmeoCrboimdiptyanayndinm1o9r2t6altiotypirnoCviadneaidtiwanithinidnufsotrrmieas, including the asbestos industry. In an article in the Canadian MedicalAssociationJournal Pedley claimed that mining and milling in Canada might not present the rpirsokdauscstosciiantetdhewUithnimteadnuKfiancgtudroemo.1f1aIsnbeastsoesc-oconndtapiineicneg, aPsebdelsetyosirseminaCrkaendadathaant dththeartethhearde wbaesenno nevoidceanscee ooff a hazard in Quebec's mines.12Pedley made reference to Stiiomnstohna'st tshtuedfyiboefrScoauutshinegrnasRbheostdoessiisainbuStofuaitlheedrntoAmfreicna wasInthMe asaym1e93to0,wDhri.chStCevaennasdoinan, amminienres wpheyresiecxiapnosweidt.h Canadian Johns-Manville, gave a paper on occupa tional disease to members of the Quebec Asbestos Pro wduitcherFsrAansskocPiaetdiloeny. Sintevaenssuorvnewyaos fatatshbaetsttoimsise,eanngdagneod doubt his audience assumed his presentation was based oasnbedstaotsaisfrraormelythoactcusrtureddy. inStCevaennasdoinan emxpinlaeinweodrktehrast. JWohhnilse-Mthaenrveilmleiwghast hsuavche baefeansticdaisoeussienmthpelodyeisrtathnattpaassta, preventive measure it transferred mill workers to other jhoabds aacfcteesrsteton tyheeaxrs-raoyfssoerfvSicoeu.t1h3 AStferviceannsomniwneisrshesdo hhee couSludcbhecaossmeretimonosreabfaomutilitahrewaibthsetnhceediosfeaasseb.estosis in Cinadnuasdtriyanovmerintheersnewxetrhealrfecpeenattuerdy.aFdorneaxuasmeapmle, bdyuritnhge btheegafinrstrmevoienwthisngof tWheorlWd WorakrmIIe,nw'sheCnopmupbelincsaautitohnoriAticets, Jtohhenres-hMaadnbveilelen innofocramseeodftahsbeeQstouseibseact igtsomveinrnems, eanntdtahnayt reference to that disease in the legislation would only encourage groundless claims for compensation.14 Despite Pedley's and Stevenson's claims, they and tahmeoinngduCsatrnyadwiearne wfuollrykearws.arIen o1f9h3i0g,hthleeveMlseotrfopdoisleitaasne life Insurance Company, along with the major compa nmieinse, rsf.unTdheed parojsetucdt,ywohficahsbweasstosciosoradminoantgedQbuyebDerc. F14ra1nkCaPneaddlieayn aJnodhnass-Msisatendvilbley eDmr.pSltoeyveeenssoant, Ainsvboelsvteods Tanhdetf5o4rdmmenineartsThhaedtfohradd. Eteinghtyye-afirvseopfesrecrevnicte,ofcothme pared with only 22% of those at Asbestos. Pedley and JThe center was founded in 1926 by the Metropolitan Life Insur ance Company. VO L 11/NO 4, O CT/DEC 2005 www.ljoeh.com M ining and M endacity 399 Stevenson began with a review of the miners' general health,15 Half of those in each group needed dental wcahriel;e 1o0v%erohfatlhfeomf tehnefTrohmetAfosrbdesstuobsjhecatds hheaadrimngarlkoessd, ifnodrdushtraidalidnefeacfnteedsst;o2n7siflrso, manAds1b0e%stoos fanbdot1h3gfrrooumpsThhaetd hernias, a serious disability in men required to do hasebavesytowsocrokr.nAs ororurnaidse1d0a%reaosfotfhsekiTn,hseitmfoilradr tmoeansmhaaldl wart, caused by imbedded fibers. The general health of bemotphlogyroedu.psUwnalsikpeootrh,eeisrpeUc.iKal.lycfoollremageunesw,hPoewdleerye faunlldy Stevenson did not take work histories. The clinical examination of the men's lungs was even more disturbing. Basal rales were common, but tthhee cmlaosssitcfsreyqmupetnomt coofmapsblaeisntot swisa.sOshf othrten4es0smoefnberexaatmh, ined by Dr. Stevenson, 14, or 35%, had stage one ahsablefshtoasdisa;sobefstthoesis5;6anmdeonfxth-reay1e4d1aattTAhsebtefsotords,, 1a7lmhoasdt sthisetednitsweaisthe.1t5heThloenhgiegrhavinecraidgeenpceeriaotdTohfesteforvridcew,aasncdoinn his report Pedley wrote: "From this table one would ceoxnpoclsuudree othfaltesassbthesatnosfiisveisyneoartsl,ikbeulyt tthoadtewvietlhopexwpiothsuarne of more than ten years there is a great possibility of it wdeavsecloompimngo.*n1,5itPwedasleoyf lciotdnecliumdpeodrttahnactewshinilcee athsbeersetowsaiss no accompanying incapacity. In reaching that conclu sion he ignored the heavy physical labor required of cmoimnemrsoann. dHheisaolswonigfinnodriendg tthheatmsheodrictnaelslsitoerfabtrueraethfrwomas the United Kingdom, which was cited widely in the leading North American journals.3 Pedley wanted to publish the study, but to do so he needed permission. He approached Dr. Anthony Lanza afutnMdientgro, pboulittaLnanLziafe,rewfuhsiecdh, haanddptrhoevisdteuddypwaratsonfetvheer raebloeausteddi.sFearosem itnhatthteimme,inthese vviaerwiesdexapcrceosrsdeidnbgytLoanthzea eadudgieednctehaht eclawiamssaadbdoreustsitnhge. aIbnsepnrciveaotef ahsebeasctoksnioswinl CthaenaCdaiannadmiainnearssbwesetroesmcootmivpaatendiebs.y16thIen spelufb-ilnicterLeasnt zoaf endorsed the fallacy that the Canadian mines were ssaaffeet.y17oTfhtheefainsbaelsetovsidmenincees oisffLouannzdai'sn vthieewbaehbaovuitorthoef whiosrekmerpslaosyseur.chMaehtriogpho-rliistkangrLoiufepcitaamdedetod vainewexatsrbae4s0to%s loaIdninAgptroilt1h9e4i0r,hweaitlhthasibnesustroasnpceropdruecmtiiounmlse.v31e9ls rising, Dr. Stevenson presented another paper on the safety of JCoahnnas-dMiaannvmililenesstafaftwSehreerxb-rroaoykeed. aHnneuaelxlyplaaninde, dofththaet 507 men at Asbestos with more than ten years of serv iscise,, Ionnlfyac2t2,thoerrjeuswtaosvesor 4l%itdsehdoiwseeadseeairnlyCsiagnnasdoafiftibwraos almost impossible to conduct research. Stevenson did, however, admit that the Thetford mill was full of dust, avnendtihlaetwedonchdaemrebde: r"sifeirtewctoeudldinbeceprotasisniblloectaotihoanvseinsmthalel mofiltlhsewthimeree,owpheirlaetsotrisllowfamtcahcihnignethseciorumldacbheinkeesp,t,soa pthaartt athnedydciosuealdsegient cthleeanSoauirt.h"20APfarircaadnoxmicinalelsy,, bthuetrienwCaasndaudsat thhaevreebwelaisevseudppSotesveednlysoonn,lbyudtuJosth.nSs-tMateanavuitlhleo'srictioems pmeatiy torSstweveerensloesns'sguplalpibelre.was distributed within the indus ttroyrsainndthceoUpinesitewdeKreinsgednotmto. TJouhrnnse-rM&anNveiwllea'lsl ocpoemrpateetdi the mine in Southern Africa where Slade had done his rQeuseeabrecch. Tinhetrheefolraete, i1t9w20ass,naontdsuitrparlissoinhgatdhamtiTne&sNi'ns chairman Sir Samuel Turner, was irritated by Steven smoenn'stecdlatimhast aabsboeusttotshise wabassednicfeficoufltdtioseadsiea.gnHoesecaonmd tmhoatrteitmwtahsacnodmumrinogn cfloinricmaloerexacmasiensattioons.h21oSwiruSpampuoeslt winaesdceJrothainns-tMhaatnivfiltlhee's Ue.Km.pMloyedeiecsal tBheoyardwohualdd exhaamve ftiovuenwditphleTn&tyNo.faagsrbeeesdto.2s2isC. Ja,nAn.nCoatnedn, tahastenx-iorarysexweecrue nBorittiashreplihaybsliecimanesthaolwdaoyfsdtioaogknodseista, ialendd wfoorrtkhahtisrteoarsieosn. UexnpleikrieemncaenyofoCf hanisacdoiallneamguineess,,Cwahninchhagdavheahdimfirsftu-rhtahnedr rtheaesKonintgoMquinees,tiConanSntehvaednsfoonu'nsdclwaiomrsk. cDounrdinitgioansvitsoitbtoe vevereyn ptohoer.paTlhpeabrelewdaussnt ofrtoemnotuhgehmdirllasu, gahntdtoporlelmutoiovne was particularly bad in the bagging areas. Under such conditions disease was inevitable. papTehrerireriwtaetered ahinsuBmribtiesrh orfeardeearsso.nTs hwehymSotsetvoebnvsioonu'ss Awafrsictahne mclianiems tthheartewwhaislenothneereamwoansgdJiosehansse-MatanTv&ilNle''ss North America workers. It is certain that Sir Samuel whaavseabweaeren oawf athree ocfornedsietiaornchs ifnromCaanaddeac.aHdee emaralyiearlsino wirrhiitcahtioSntedviednsnoont lheaadd tboeaennydimirepcrtolyveimnveonltveind.thBeuwt ohriks conditions on T&N mines. THE MINES Cprhorbylseomtilseams minienresrsinelCseawnahderae,faicnecdlumdianngyloowf tphaey,sdaamne gerous conditions, technological change, intractable mmianneasgpemoleluntte,danthdeshenifvtiwroonrkm. eInntaadnddithioand, athneinQtruuesbivece impact upon communities that were dependent upon tthoresmthfaotrmemadpeloaysmbeesntot.s23mTihneinreg wpaerrteicaullsaorltyechhanziacradlofuasc. 400 M cCulloch WWW.ijoeh.com INT J O CCU P ENVIRON HEALTH While methods of extracting asbestos ore have varied from open cut to depth mining, the aim of pro cessing fiber is always the same, namely to preserve the mineral's physical properties. For that reason, asbestos is milled dry, which means that milling creates dust. After arriving at a mill, ore is fed into primary crushers, then crushed and sorted.24 The ore is then crushed again, and the fiber lifted off by suction. The further Tinhtoe tmheosmt ihllaiznagrdporoucsejsosb, sthaet mWoirtetendouostmis (gAeunsetrraaltiead)., Psiean) gwe e(rSeouitnh Athfreicab)a,gagnidngShsaebcatinoines,(SwouetrheerfnibRerhowdaes pfrroemssemd,inoefsteinn bSyouhtahnedr,n iAntforicbaufrrloamp saascklsa.teEavsid1e9n8c0e shows that between a third and halfofmill workers con struapcpteodseadsbtoesbtoesins.o25,d26isIenaseC.aTnhadoase, hwohwoevraern, tthheerme iwneass like the insurance industry knew better. In June 1946, one of Metropolitan Life's chief officers, Dr. George Wnehweamlteyd,ivciaslitdeidretchteorT, Dher.tfPoarudl mCainrteie, rw. Whehreeahltey tmhoetugthhet the medical survey of workers that Cartier had just begun would uncover a lot of asbestosis, as well as tuberculosis. He wrote to his colleague Anthony Lanza: "The more thorough the job the more problems they are going to discover. Since asbestosis is compensatablDe,utrhiinsgisJagnouinagryto1c9o4s9t,ththeemMmouncthremalonneeyw."s2p7aper Le Devoircarried a series ofarticles on work and living con dBiutirotonns Line Dthoeuvxil,liangteerovfieEwaesdt mBrionuergshatonnd.thTehier faaumthiloiers, athnedydlievsecdriabneddwthoerkdeedp. lEoarsatbBlerocuognhdtiotinownsasuanpdoerorwchoimch munity in Canada's poorest province. The sole source othfeemQupelobyemc eAnstbfeostrotshCeovriplloargaet'ison3,,0a00suinbshiadbiaitraynotsf wthaes U.S. company Philip Carey. The mine lay next to the cTohreporaratetsioonf'spfaayctworeyr,ewphoiocrhaonpderwaoterdk csioxnddaityisonaswweeekre. hard. The mill was bitterly cold in winter, and there was not even a place for the men to eat away from the dust amnudmn,otihsee. cToorpkoereaptiothnerecloisetds oufpopnrodmuacntuioanl ltaoboar,mainndi wevaesnntohescalfeeatynienqguoipfmtheenmt,ilalnwdaswdoornkeerbsywhoanuldd. Tthheemre sEevlveerys bpuayrtgoofgtghleesotpoerkaeteiopnt,hferofmibemr ionuint go,fttohepirroceeysessr. ifnogu,ndtothtahtethbeagmgeinng's colfotfhibeserwcerreeaetnedcrudsutsetd. wLiethDgoreuyxgbrroewens, feibaresr,, aansdwheareir.t2h8eTihr ehawnedsstearnndsidfaeceosf,ththeevirilleaygee was inundated with asbestos from the mill, and there wasAdsuinst ainnyalml tihnee,hsooumsees.jobs were worse than others. The worstjobs at East Broughton were in the bagging sEemcptioocnhe,urwswheerree neomtpcoocrhpeourrastiboangegmedplofyiebeesrbubyt whoarknedd. for private contractors and were paid piece rates rather sthhaankewaangdes.prTehsseythweoufilbderf,illbethfoerebusrelwapingsacthkes, stahcekns closed. Pileurs picked up the leaking sacks and piled them in the storeroom. The system provided the cor pcoomraptiaonny wPihthilipcheCaapreyla, bforor mandthesheplotsesriebdilittyheofpalreegnatl action by workers who contracted asbestosis. The men wcoemrepnanevyerphwyasrincieadnsoftethlle tdhaenmgerwshtehneytfhaecyedh, andorcdoind tthraactttehde aennvoircocnumpaetniotanlaelxdpiosesausree.frLoemDthoeuxwaaslsteodfuomunpds wtoarsysiullcnhestsh.aTt whehoplreovfainmciilaielsgwoveerernamffelinctteidnwQiuthebreescpwiraas well aware of the situation, according to Le Doux, but Dcheovoseirwtoerdeoasnboathdinasg.thTosheeecnodnudrietidonbys bdleascckriwboerdkeinrsLine South Africa, where under apartheid miners went uDnopurxo'tsecretepdorbtys,triandeFuenbirounasryor1t9h4e9lamw.i1n0eFrosllaotwJionghnLseManville's Asbestos mine began a dramatic strike for better pay and work conditions. The strike, which soon spread to Thetford, lasted for five months and became aQutuebrneicn.gIt pdoidinntoitn, htohweevheirs,toernydothf elatbhorerarteolaftoiocncuspian tionOavleorrtheenvnierxotn2m0eynetaarlsi,ntjhueryre. was some improvement icnomwporakniyngphcoysnidciitainonDsri.nJ.CFa.naKdnao'sxmviinsietse.dWThheentfTor&dNin's Dpaevceemmebnetrs a1n9d64r,ohoefsfoofudnodmtehsetirce dwwaesllliensgssdtuhsatnoonn thhies pthreevnioeuws vhiosiuts1e2syoerartsheearslciehro.oBlsuthhaednboeteedn th"paotsniotinoeneodf with the idea of avoiding dust blown off the encircling t(hasabtefsibtoesr)frdoummtphse."22950Hteonws aosf wpaarsttiecduluamrlypecdoenaccehrndeady alatteBr,elTl&MNin'sesewnaisorbplohwysnicoiavne,rDtrh.eHd. iLsterwicitn.2s9ohAn,dfeocuandde the area heavily polluted. Even the new mill at Lake Asbestos was choked with dust; he lamented that the voeuntptiulattrioanthesrytshteamn imhapdrovbeeeonccudpeasitgionneadl staofeteyn.3h0ance Ten years later, conditions were much the same. In 1976, the Beaudry Commission into the Quebec asbestos industry concluded that the mines and mills wspeernetutnhseaifree, natnidrethliavtessoinmae h1a5z,0a0r0doQuuseebnevcirwoonrmkeernst.ha"Idt itshoebtveicohunsi"ctahlemCeoamnsmtiosseionnsuwreroateh,e"caiflttheyr owuorrkstiundgyetnhvait ronment do exist and are readily available."31 Beaudry cinofmormmeantitoedn oabf oeumtptlhoeyerdsa:n"gTehroeuysheafvfeecktsepotf aavsabielasbtoles dCuosmt mawisasyionfrowmas tahlesowcorirtkicearsl oafndthethsetauteniionnsps.e"c31toTrahtee which had allowed such conditions to continue. Bweeareudbroyrnfiendoiuntgbsyabsuobustetqhueernistkreosfeoacrccuhp.3a2tional disease VO L 11/NO 4, O CT/DEC 2005 www.lioeh.com Mining and M endacity 401 Company medical officers play an important--if ambiguous--role in occupational health and safety. In theory, medical officers stand between labor, employ erersc,oanncdileretghueliartodruytiaeusthaos rpithieyss.icIinanpsrawcittihceththeeycohmavmeetro cCiaarltidere,mthaenddsireocftoirndouf stthrey.coOmnpeansyucclhinipchaytsiTchiaent,foDrdr,, gtoalvdetehveidCeonmcembiesfsoiorne tthheatBheeauodftreynCaodmvimseidssmioinn.eCrsawrtiiethr asbestosis not to seek workers' compensation, because even ifasbestotic workers left theirjobs, the progressive nature of the disease would not have been halted: "So I figured it was in their best interest to stay at their jobs. Besides they didn't want to be reported ill and trans ferred to a lower paying job where they might of earned as much as $50 less a week."33Cartier admitted mthoatntthhseraeftehradrebceeievnincgasaescloeafnwboirlkleorsf hwehaolthdiefrdoma fheiws cMliinniicn.g HAessowcaisatisounrpdriidsendo tthtrayt tothiempQrouveebewcorAkscboenstdois Ftiroennschb-uCtanhaediamnaddoectnoor fcroommptlhaeinbtso.onHdeocwksa"s a`njudstthea Association were employing world experts at McGill Uexnpiveertrssihtyadtoinrecsleuadrecdh Dasrbs.esPteodsldeiyseaansde.SOtevveerntsiomne. those C O N C LU SIO N Why were conditions so hazardous in the Canadian mines, and why did employers such as Johns-Manville atinodnaPl hdiilsiepasCe?arTeyhemreakweerneoaenfufomrtbetor opfrerevaesnotnos,ccraunpga ing from the politics of medical research to the eco nomic structure of the industry. Neither should we forget the failure ofcompany physicians such as Steven son and Cartier to protect their patients. Until the 1970s, the industry funded most of the masebdesictoasl. rWesheearrechtheintroesutlhtse weeffreectfsavoorfabelxepothseuyrews ertoe rthelaetaseemdpilnotyoertshewpeureblipcrodvoimdianign aansdafuesewdoarks eevnivdiernocne msuepnptr.esWsehde,reantdheficrteisounlatslizweedreacucnofuanvtosroabfldeistehaesye wraeteres were published in their place. The year 1930 was a cru cial moment in the industry's history. The PedleySStleavdeen'sswonorsktuodnyasobfeTsthoestmfoirnderws ains ScoomutphlAetferdicainwa1s9f3in0. ished, and the Merewether-Price survey of asbestos manufacturing in the United Kingdom was released. Trahteestohfreaesbsetsutdoiseiss awtemreinpersecainpditfaatcetdorbiyesthaendbubrygtehoenriinsge of asbestos-related litigation in the United States. That research coincided with the Great Depression, which saw a dramatic fall in demand for asbestos products. It adluscotisoanw osiflicpooswiserbetcooomlseina nfoatuinodnrailesissiunec.reTahseedindturost levels, and thereby the incidence of disability. Silicosis is dose-related and there was a clear boundary separat ing the wider public from the men and women who worked with silica. That made it possible for the indus try to resolve the issue in its favor and thereby con danemd pnotvweortyg.eAneltrhaotiuognhs soilficfoosuisndwrays wanorokcecrusptaotidoinsaablidliitsy ease, as Rosner and Markovitz have shown, the events oufndtehremi1n9e3d0sopintimthisemUanbioteudt tShteatesasfettoy osofmneewextetecnht nologies and the efficacy of industrial production itself.34 Under those circumstances the results of the Pedley-Stevenson study could have seriously damaged the asbestos industry The industry was dependent upon the mines for its profits. To make the mines safe would have required such a massive investment that asbestos would have lost ittisoncowmaspamrautcivhethaedvsaanmtaegien oSvoeurthsuerbnstAitufrtiecsa., Twhheerseittuhae hstiadtdeeanutchoosrtistioesf,pwrohoduhcatdionnowienntetruesntacinknthoewwleedlgfaerde boyf bbylaSckladweoirnkeSrso.uAths AafcroicnasaenqdueDnrc.eP, etdhleeyini-nhQouuseebsetcudhiaeds no impact upon occupational health or safety. RegInionCalainsmadain, Qinuteebrneaclanfadcttohres naelesdo fpolrajyoebds eancroouler. adgiseedasset.atWe pitahtrtohneagcereaantidoncoollfustihoen SovoecrieoteccNupaatitoionnalael d'Amiante in 1978, large parts of the industry were nteamtiobnearli1z9e9d2.,Pwuabsliicntoewnndeerdshtiop,wwrehsitchcolnastrtoedl furnotmil SUe.Sp. companies. The nationalization encouraged public support for an industry that for decades had been heav ily subsidized by the federal government. The mining companies have also been supported by pension funds, ttihoenst.r23adMe inuinnigontsa,xeasnidn tQhueebQeucebheavcecbroewenn fcaor rlpoowrear fthoarnextahme pslueb,soidnileys6th,9e92inpdeuosptrlye hwaosrkreecdeiivneda.llItnyp2e0s0o2,f minidnuesstriyn wQausebweecl,l yaebt otovteal$p1u0b7licmeilxlipoenn.2d3ituInre voanriothues guises, that system of patronage goes back to the 1930s. miTnihneg icnodmumstruyn'siticeosmsumcehrcaisalEassutcBcersosudgihdtonno. tInesnteriacdh, over successive generations, those communities have borne the hidden costs of production, including pollu etinovniroofntmheenlatanlddainsedausen.coTmhepeenasraltyeddoencciaulpsaatiboonualt atnhde existence of asbestosis ensured the industry's long-term soufravsibvaels.toHsiasviinngthaergCuaendafdoiarndemciandeerss,aibtowuatstahesmaablslesntecpe for the major producers to argue, as they did after 1960, that neither was there mesothelioma. That fallacy has been maintained until the present. References 1. sSteundtyeschKa.llAensbgeinstgosthaenldegtihteimWacoyrlodf TthreadWeTOOrgaasnaizfaotriuomn: fAorctahsee 402 M cCulloch www.8oeh.com INT J O CCU P ENVIRON HEALTH athdejsuids,icUatniiovnersoiftypoufbAlilcbehretaa,lt2h00a2n.d environmental issues. MA 2. AofsbAessbtoesstaonsdaCnedrtaCienrAtasinbesAtosbsePsrtoodsuPctrso:dAucRtse.pTorhteonMthoenoSpuoplpielys COoffmicme,is1s9i7o3n:.78L.ondon, England: Her Majesty's Stationery 3. ACsapstelnemLaanwBan. dAsBbuesstionse:ssMBeodoikcas,l 1a9n9d6:L3e5g.al Aspects. 4th ed. NJ: 4. Traetsiotinm,oannydoPfrLeeswidisenHt.oBfrAoswbne,stPorseIsnidsetintut,tJeo,hinnsH-MeaarnivniglleonCCoropdoe oHfeFaariirngCoamnpdetAitipopnefnodrixth.eNAastbieosntaols IRndeucostvreyr:yTrAandsmcirnipisttsroatfiothne, 5. WMaasnhaignegmtoenn,tDbCy,MOocrtg1an9.,1F9o3r3tu. ne. 1934; 3. 6. TUwnieveedrasilteyGP.reMssa,g2ic0M00i:n2e0r-a2l.to Killer Dust. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford 7. M19e3r3e-w34e;th1e5.r ERA A Memorandum on Asbestosis. Tubercle. 8. S1:i8m8s5o-6n. FW. Pulmonary asbestosis in South Africa. BMJ. 1928; 9. SElmadpeloGyeFd. TinheAIsnbceisdtoesncMe ionfinRgewspitihratSopryecDiailsaRbeilfietyreinnceWtoorktehres TMyDpethoefsiDs,isUanbiivlietyrsiCtyauosfetdhebyWtihtwe aItnehrsarlaantdio,n19o3f0.Asbestos Dust. 10. MthecCSutalltoecihn JS.oAutshbeAsftoriscaBLluoensd: oLna,bEonugr,laCndap:Jitaaml,ePshCyusricreiayn,s20a0n2d. 1112.. PPeeddlleeyy FF.. AAssbbeessttoossiiss.. CCaann.. PMuebdl.icAHsseoacl.tJh.J1.913903;202;2:215:537-46.-7. 13. AAssbbeessttoossisP. rPoadpuecrersp,reSsehnetrebdroobkyeDQrU.S,teCveannsaodna, to23thMeaQy u1e9b3e8c. TPa&pNersP)arpeefresrsRteoetlh0e0a9r/c1h6iv6e2.he[Tlduarnt ethre&ScNheowoallolfPBaupseirnses(sTH&iNs ltaonryd,. TMhaonscehpesatpeerrsMaeretrocpoopileitsanofUinntievrenrsailtyc,omMpaanncyhecsoterrr,esEponng 14. dMeenmceo,mQadueebaevcailOabclceutphaotuiognhallegDailsdeaissceosveLreyg.]islation, Vandiver 15. BPerodwleny,F1.5RAepporirlt1o9f4t0h.eTP&hNysiPcaapl eErxsaRmeienla0ti0o9n/s16a5n5d-5X7-.Ray Exam iQnuateiboenc,oNf oAvsebmesbtoesr 1W93o0rk. eMrsetinLiAfesbCeosntosspiarancdy.Thetford Mines, 16. Letter from A. Lanza, Metropolitan Life, to Mandred Bowditch, Saranac, Dec 13,1937. 17. LluanngzsaoAf asebteaslt.oEsfwfeocrtkseorsf.tPhuebilnichaHlaetailotnh Rofepas.b1e9s3to5s;5d0u(Jsatnounartyh)e. 18. LmaonnzaaryAJd,iVseaansee.RAJ.mInRdeuvsTtruiabledrcuusltossaisn.d1t9h3e9;m39o:r4t1a9li.ty from pul 19. L19e3tt9e.r from Buell toJ. C. McConnell, Metropolitan Life, Aug 22, 20. ACsabneasdtoas,is1.5PAappreirl p19re4s0e.nTt&edNbPyaDpre.rsStReveeelns0o0n9,/S16h4er3b5r0o.oke, QU, 21. Memo, Sir Samuel Turner, 25 May 1940. T&N Papers Reel 22. 0M0e9m/1o6,4J1.-4A2.. Cann to C. S. Bell, London, 3 June 1940. T&N 23. KPaupyeerksJR. eAelsb0e0s9to/1s6M41i-n4i2n.g in Canada. Paper presented to the Itenmtebrneart1io3n,2a0l0B3a.n Asbestos Conference, Ottawa, Canada, Sep 24. sIniovnesttoigaSttiuodnys oSfiltichoesiassbaensdtoostmheinreIsn. dInu:stRrieapl oPrnteoufmthoenoCcoinmomsiiss. 25. VSaisliistbtourSy,hUab.Kan.:ieGaonvderGnmathenstMPirnineste, rM, 1a9rc3h8:189287, Dr. P. Elmes 14 26. AApsbrielst1o9s8d7.uTst&leNvePlaspinersov0e3r0s1ea/1s5c3o7m-1p5a4n0i.es. Executive Commit 27. tMeeemMoeeftrionmg MGaerochrg1e98W1.hTea&ltNy PtoapAe.rsL2a8n5z/a0,59115./6/1945. T&N 28. PLaepDerosu0x0B9./1A89v3il.lage of three thousand suffocates in dust. East 29. BRreopuogrht toonnvainsidt taosbTehsteotsfiosr.dLeMDineevso,iar.sJbaensutoasryan1d2,M19o4n9tr.eal. J. F. 30. RKenpoox,rt1f7roDmecHem. Lbeerw1in9s6o4h,nT&onNvPisaipt etorsA2dRaseeAl s1b0e1s/t1o3s5C1o-3m.pany aRnedelt7h6e/1B1e5ll0-M61in.e, Thetford Mines, Canada, 1973. T&N Paper 31. mBeeanuddartyionC.oTm&mNisPsiaopne.rsCRoenecllu4s1io7n/1s25a3n7d1.Preliminary Recom 32. NteircmholmsoonrtaWliJt,ySeexlipkeorfifeInJ,ceSeoidfmcahnryHso,tLilielismRi,nFeorsrminbyTPh.eLtfoonrgd 33. MChinieefs,dQocuteobresca.yAs hnen tNriYedActoadbeSchi.u1m9a7n9;. M11-o2n1t.real Star. Nov 20, 34. R19o7s5n.er D, Markovitz G. Deadly Dust: Silicosis and the Politics of Otocnc,uNpJa:tiPorninacleDtoisneaUsnesivienrsiTtywPernetsise,th1-9C8e7n. tury America. Prince VO L 11/NO 4, OCT/DEC 2005 * www.ijoeh.com M ining an d M endacity 403