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Topic spans: 1942 - 2002
Asbestos: Magic Mineral or Deadly Dust?
The needle-like fibres seemed like nature's perfect gift. Fireproof, indestructible and cheap, from the 1940s to the 1970s, asbestos was everywhere. It was woven into clothes, used to insulate buildings and even mixed with water as children's play dough. That was before studies linked asbestos dust with cancer and lung disease. Authorities now say asbestos, when handled properly, poses little risk. But nagging concerns, highlighted by the plight of the asbestos miners, have resulted in a shrivelling industry.
Photo of asbestos mineral from Wikimedia Commons.
8 television clips
7 radio clips
Canada's longest health-related strike
Broadcast Date: May 7, 1978
Their demands are simple. The 500 Baie Verte, Newfoundland miners are not asking for more pay or more vacation time. Instead they want double lockers: one for their clean clothes and another to store their asbestos-covered work clothes. They want car washes and showers. They want a clean lunchroom. It's all in an attempt to protect themselves and their families from exposure to the deadly asbestos dust.With these basic demands the Baie Verte asbestos miners begin the longest strike in Canadian history for health reasons. The protest catches the attention of the nation. Support floods in from across the country. Baie Verte miners fight to protect the entire community. The near 15-week strike finally comes to an end when the Johns Manville Corporation, the multinational that owns Advocate Mines in Baie Verte, finally agrees to the workers' demands.
Canada's longest health-related strike
• Proving a direct link between asbestos and cancer can be difficult because the asbestos-induced scarring gradually accumulates in the lungs over a period of 20 to 30 years.• Studies showed that Baie Verte had 14,000 times the normal amount of asbestos particles in the air.
• Baie Verte residents told CBC's Stuart McLean how asbestos dust would cover their homes, cars and playgrounds. One woman testified that she found asbestos fibres in the fish her family caught.
Canada's longest health-related strike
Medium: Radio
Program: Sunday Morning
Broadcast Date: May 7, 1978
Guest(s): Gerald Dwyer, Gus Lewis, Kelly Lewis, Robert Morgan
Host: Bronwyn Drainie
Reporter: Stuart McLean
Duration: 17:55
Last updated:
Aug. 23, 2004
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Television
2:43
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Topic
To fluoridate or not to fluoridate? That's the question at the centre of one of the longest debates in Canadian history. Advocates of water fluoridation say it's a safe and effective way to reduce cavities...
Topic from Radio-Canada
For Teachers - Educational activities
External sites
asbestos · mines · asbestosis · cancer · dust
Canada's longest health-related strike.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Aug. 23, 2004.
[Page consulted on Nov. 22, 2009.]