Canada’s asbestos industry on its way out

LAB Chrysotile Inc., one of the two remaining Quebec’s asbestos miners, has filed for bankruptcy because of high fixed costs and sharply declining revenues.

In October last year, LAB halted production indefinitely causing 350 people to lose their jobs. The company then alluded to operating problems, including labour and mine development issues. LAB then showed annual revenue of about $50 million from exporting chrysotile fibre mainly to North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, reports Canada.com.

LAB operated the Lac d’Amiante mine near Thetford Mines in the Eastern Townships and it had been producing chrysotile asbestos fibre mainly for export for more than 50 years.

In November, two other companies stopped mining asbestos: Lac d’amiante du Canada, near Thetford Mines, and the Jeffrey underground mine.

Opponents to the use of asbestos say the use of any amount of this material has serious health’s impacts and , as a consequence, it is being removed from existing buildings in the U.S., Canada and many other countries.