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Pipes containing asbestos are being installed in new condominiums, hospitals and high-rises in Canada, despite widespread health concerns that have led many countries to ban its use.
The new installations come as cities across the country are spending millions of dollars to manage and remove asbestos materials from public buildings such as schools, community centres, courts and medical facilities. Unlike most other developed countries, Canada has never banned the use of asbestos and continues to import and export asbestos-containing materials, such as pipes and tiles, The Globe and Mail has reported.
Asbestos-cement pipes are allowed in both Canada and the United States, though there are regulations about how to cut and dispose of them. It is unclear how many asbestos-cement pipes are being installed in Toronto and other cities, and there appear to be no central records of where asbestos is being used.
Once the products are imported into Canada, it’s difficult to pinpoint where it actually gets sold. A key concern is that many workers, tenants and owners may not know asbestos materials are in their buildings, raising the risk of accidental exposures particularly in the event of a fire, or as the materials start to deteriorate.
The World Health Organization has declared all forms of asbestos carcinogenic and recommends its use be eliminated. In Canada, asbestos has become the top on-the-job killer, causing diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Evidence has found even low levels of exposure raise the risk of cancer.
The distributor of some of the pipes is Portneuf, Que.-based Tuyaux Logard Inc., whose owner said Toronto is a key market for the company.
All of Logard’s pipes contain asbestos. They are imported from other countries including Mexico, while Logard cuts and distributes them to contractors in Canada. The company, which employs about 25 people, wouldn’t disclose its revenue or volumes imported for competitive reasons. But Statistics Canada trade data show Canada imported about $2.2-million in asbestos-containing pipes, tiles, sheets, panels and tubes from 2010 to 2013.
Logard also supplies contractors through Ontario and Quebec, and on occasion, the Maritimes, the company’s owner Louis Beauregard says.
Another recent customer was the McGill University Health Centre, he said, a billion-dollar-plus, Montreal mega-hospital which was built by SNC-Lavalin. SNC-Lavalin said in an e-mail the pipes are used in stormwater drainage and noted the only risk with this type of pipe is “when it is being cut upon installation,” a risk that is regulated by the province . “There are no risks associated with this type of piping once installation is completed,” the company said.
Logard is not the only supplier of asbestos-cement pipes in Ontario. Brampton-based Crowle Fittings and Supplies distributes them through the Greater Toronto Area as well (imported from Mexico) and says a “good majority” of the high-rise buildings going up in Toronto are using them, in parking garages or running up to the roof.
Some provinces have boosted restrictions on asbestos, which has curtailed use. In British Columbia, “tightened current regulations have generally stopped the current use of asbestos-cement pipes,” said Al Johnson, vice-president of prevention services at WorkSafeBC. The issue of safe use has surfaced at Ontario’s Ministry of Labour. The ministry said in an e-mail that it has encountered cases of employers or contractors who are not following the rules, noting that in those cases a provincial inspector can stop the job. “It is always a concern for the Ministry of Labour when asbestos is being installed or removed in a workplace,” the ministry said.
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