Canada wins battle to keep asbestos off hazardous list

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News

Canada won the fight, for at least another two years, to keep asbestos off an international list of hazardous chemicals as discussions wrapped up in Geneva on Friday.

The conference of participants to the Rotterdam Convention ended without agreement on whether to add chrysotile asbestos to the Annex 3 list.

The country was one of only a handful — and the only western country — to maintain its objection until the end of the week, denying the conference the consensus it needed to make the change.

"Chrysotile now goes before in 2013," UN Environment Programmr spokesman Michael Stanley-Jones said in an email.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/06/24/pol-harper-asbestos.html

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Jun 24, 2011 5:19 PM ET

[RKP5637]

1. Amazing, absolutely amazing. n/t

[slackmaster]

2. My brother's wife's sister's husband died of mesothelioma at age 42

When he was a child growing up in Cornwall (England), his father often came home from his job at a shipyard with his clothing covered with asbestos.

The dad is in his late 79s, is retired and still in good health.

[gratuitous]

3. What a proud moment

Just guessing, but I would guess that Canada did this at U.S. behest. If Canada hadn't done it, the U.S. would have. How does asbestos not qualify as hazardous? Damn.

[Thor_MN]

4. Canada is the world's 2nd largest exporter of asbestos

Only Russia exports more. They named a city in Quebec Asbestos. Canada needs no prodding to promote asbestos. For all the other reasons to admire Canada, this isn't one of them.

[blank space]

8. Admire canada ?

Get with the times man - canada went to the dogs years ago - just because its twenty yeas more progressive than the states doesn't mean it has completely and utterly gone to the dogs.

Plenty of literature around about how the US infiltrated Canadian corporations and via that canadian politics - Canada is Americanised beyond belief, its only the Canadians the people who are last to realise (find out).

Tar sands is perfect example, their government is so far right wing its not funny, G20 , etc, etc,etc.

Canada is the new Bush 2001 Neocons paradise.

[Thor_MN]

10. Hmmm... Don't recall saying Canada was the bestest nation in the universe....

And not sure why you think Canada being more progressive than the US would mean that Canada has completely and utterly gone to the dogs, but hey, whatever.

[Politicalboi]

5. Either the Daily Show or Stephen

Did some skit on this a month or so ago. Just unbelievable.

[Corruption Winz]

6. It's illegal to sell asbestos in Canada, but developing countries...

Well, Canada is fine with that. Nothing wrong with that.....

[Dave From Canada]

7. Actually, it's Quebec that pushed the federal government to keep asbestos off the list.

[DonCoquixote]

9. if that is true

that is twice as sad, as I like to think Les Quebecois are Canada's bastion of self identity, as opposed to the means to tear it down.

[underpants]

11. The Daily Show actually did a report on this a few months ago

http://youtu.be/V7wpU5TmU3A

[John Paul Jones]

12. Friable asbestos is hazardous, non-friable is not so much.