Canadian Safety Reporter

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 CSR | November 2014 | News Asbestos-related cancers will continue to haunt workers Lengthy latency period – 50 years – means diagnoses will continue By sArAh DoBson earLy IN OcTOBer, a Uni- versity of Manitoba professor made headlines when she said exposure to asbestos on campus may have been the cause of her rare form of cancer. Patricia Martens, diagnosed with mesothelioma in Febru- ary 2013, said during her early career years as a chemistry teacher she used asbestos heat- ing pads with Bunsen burners. she also felt she was exposed to asbestos during the 30 years she studied and worked at the Uni- versity of Manitoba. two other professors at the school were diagnosed with the same cancer and have since died. Martens' story is becoming all too common among long- time university and college employees, according to Laura Lozanski, occupational health and safety officer at the Cana- dian Association of University teachers (CAUt). "Asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period and many CAUt members may have been exposed in their early years of learning or working at Canadian post-secondary insti- tutions." Diagnosis of asbestos-related disease is on the rise as many buildings were built decades ago without full awareness of the dangers of asbestos-con- taining construction materials (ACM). With a latency period of 50 years, mesothelioma is now a leading cause of work-related fatalities in Canada, according to the occupational Cancer re- search Centre in toronto. "Asbestos was used in so many different applications and so many different types of con- figurations and properties that it isn't uncommon for places like universities or large insti- tutions to have asbestos ma- terials," said Al Johnson, vice- president of prevention services at WorksafeBC in Vancouver. "Again, it's been a requirement for a number of years that those materials be managed safely and/or removed safely — but that's not to say someone who's been in that location for longer term might have been exposed." Tracking, reporting to protect workers While the dangers of asbestos are now well-known, provincial governments are working to better record the location and potential exposure to ACM. in addition to its asbestos infor- mation website www.hidden- killer.ca, WorksafeBC has a reg- istry that tracks exposure. "it's a database that allows anyone in the province that be- lieves they've been exposed to any type of hazardous substance or chemical, that they can then enter that information onto the registry and then it provides a permanent record of that type of exposure," said Johnson. While the entries are subjec- tive, they do allow for the expo- sure information to be logged with key information, he said. Previously, a worker might call to say he'd been exposed to as- bestos, not sure what to do, and often he would go to his family doctor to have the information entered into his medical file — only to be forgotten 20 or 30 years later. "this exposure registry now allows for that type of place- ment of information for future use," said Johnson. the registry looks at any type of exposure, so it could be any- thing from silica or a chemical substance to a mercury spill, he said. "We monitor what's on there and if we're seeing something of interest that we weren't aware of, we can also use that informa- tion to proactively go out and do some inspections in a certain sector or an area or whatever the case may be. We can always follow up on that information if we think there's something that can be done in the shorter term." Most of the "gross exposures" to asbestos have been elimi- nated as asbestos was used in the shipbuilding industry, pulp mills and oil refineries — a lot of industrial applications in years gone by, said Johnson. "Most of those heavy indus- trial uses, they've removed the asbestos or the asbestos that does remain is being managed very well, so they know it's there and they're making sure people are not exposed to it. When they do disturb it or do have to do something with it, they're taking the proper pre- cautions." exposures today are coming predominantly from commer- cial buildings and homes that are being renovated or demol- ished, said Johnson. And British Columbia requires every build- ing owner to do a hazardous material survey of the property. "if they do have asbestos- containing materials, then prior to any renovation or demoli- tion, those materials have to be safely removed," he said. "And if they're not doing work but they have asbestos in their building, THE FACTS ON ASBESTOS Asbestos is a mineral-based fi bre that has been widely used in building materials due to its resistance to heat and corrosive chemicals. Although there are six different varieties of asbestos minerals, there are three main types: chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite. Typically, asbestos appears as a whitish, fi brous material. The fi bres can range in texture from coarse to silky. When air contaminated with asbestos dust is breathed in, the small, sharp, barbed-like asbestos fi bres fi nd their way deep into the lung tissues and other internal organs where they remain for life. Over time, they can cause fatal diseases. Breathing even small, invisible quantities of asbestos is known to cause cancer 20 to 30 years after exposure. Breathing in asbestos fi bres can cause asbestosis and cancer. Asbestosis is an irreversible disease of the lung, which leads to scarring of the lung tissue. As the tissue scarring becomes more extensive, the lung loses its fl exibility and breathing becomes more diffi cult. The loss of lung function often progresses to disability and to death. Asbestos is also known to cause mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer almost exclusively associated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma develops in the thin membranes lining the lungs and abdomen. This type of cancer is inoperable and always fatal. Exposure to asbestos can cause other cancers as well. Asbestos workers have increased rates of lung cancer and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, large intestine and rectum. Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) GOVERNMENTS > pg. 4

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