13/11/2007
Many private homes in the southern Quebec community of Thetford Mines are "severely contaminated" by asbestos and pose a dangerous public health risk, according to a new study released on Wednesday 7 November.

Thetford Mines, a community of about 26,000 residents located just over 100 kilometres south of Quebec City, has long been the centre of Canada's asbestos mining industry. The exploratory sample report, published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, documented levels of asbestos inside and outside 26 private residences in the community that significantly exceed internationally accepted limits.

In 2004, a group of American and Canadian occupational health researchers sampled air, soil and dust in dozens of homes in the community. More than half of the 28 air samples contained asbestos fibres exceeding U.S. government safety limits, the report said. The study concluded that residue piles and dust blowing off trucks carrying residue appeared to be among the major sources of asbestos contamination in the homes.

A majority of the 14 soil samples taken from lawns and a playground contained far more asbestos than considered safe, the group said. "The findings of the air, soil and dust samples lead us to conclude that the residential environment in areas near Thetford Mines are severely contaminated by asbestos," the report concluded.

The study's authors acknowledged they would have liked to take more samples, but were limited by the financial resources available to them. Some residents also changed their minds about giving permission to test the air in their homes, they noted. The authors said they hope the study will prompt the Quebec government to conduct its own tests to confirm their conclusions and take action to protect the town's residents. "The population at large in these towns are at an elevated risk of developing asbestos-related diseases," said William Charney, an American occupational health expert and the study's lead author.

Such diseases include lung cancer, mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity - as well as asbestosis, a chronic breathing disorder in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.

Source: CBC News