by Paul Manning, Manning Environmental Law
Environment and Climate Change Canada, along with Health Canada, published the Prohibition of Asbestos and Products Containing Asbestos Regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part II on October 17, 2018.
These new regulations apply to any person who manufactures, imports, sells or uses asbestos or products containing asbestos. Asbestos is harmful to a person’s health as it can create problems such as inflammation, scarring and could eventually damage cells, leading to cancer. The only way to stop health problems like this from occurring is to ban the use of asbestos and to regulate asbestos manufacturing as soon as it is possible to stop anyone else from falling victim to the toxic exposure levels.
Asbestos is not only extremely hazardous, but it also takes a licensed professional to remove it from your home or business. You can learn more about getting asbestos removed from a property in Canada, by reaching out to a Red Deer asbestos removal company.
Moreover, with Canada applying new regulations to get it banned, the US should follow in their footsteps. With mesothelioma being a rising issue amongst those exposed to the product many are turning to lamber goodnow or similar firms to file personal injury cases against those workplaces where they were exposed to the products.
Thetford, Quebec open pit asbestos mine
The regulations prohibit the import, sale and use of all forms of asbestos as well as the manufacture, import, sale and use of products containing asbestos, with a limited number of exclusions:
- ongoing exclusions for
- the transfer of physical possession or control of asbestos or a product containing asbestos to allow its disposal
- the re-use of asbestos in existing road infrastructure into new road infrastructure or in asbestos mining site restoration
- the import, sale or use of military equipment serviced overseas with a product containing asbestos if there were no technically or economically feasible asbestos-free alternatives available
- the import, sale or use of asbestos and products containing asbestos for display in a museum or for use in a laboratory
- exclusions until
- December 31, 2022 for the import, sale or use of products containing asbestos to service equipment in nuclear facilities, or to service military equipment, if there are no technically or economically feasible asbestos-free alternatives available,
- December 31, 2029 for the import and use of asbestos for chlor-alkali facilities using asbestos diaphragm technology
The regulations include:
- permit provisions for unforeseen circumstances where asbestos or a product containing asbestos is used to protect human health or the environment, if there is no technically or economically feasible asbestos-free alternative available
- permit provisions for the import and use of products containing asbestos to service military equipment and equipment in a nuclear facility, if there is no technically or economically feasible asbestos-free alternative available
- provisions requiring the submission of reports from museums, laboratories, and military, nuclear and chlor-alkali facilities, as well as permit holders, who import, use or display asbestos or products containing asbestos. The preparation and implementation of an asbestos management plan is also required in most cases
The regulations do not apply to:
- asbestos integrated into a structure or infrastructure before the day on which the Regulations come into force (such as asbestos integrated into buildings and civil engineering works), or to products containing asbestos used before the day on which the regulations come into force (such as equipment installed in a facility, vehicles, ships, and airplanes)
- asbestos and products containing asbestos in transit through Canada
- mining residues, except for certain high risk activities which are prohibited, including:
- the sale of asbestos mining residues for use in construction and landscaping activities, unless authorized by the province, and
- the use of asbestos mining residues to manufacture a product that contains asbestos
In addition to these regulations, the existing Export of Substances on the Export Control List Regulations (ESECLR) and Schedule 3 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 were amended to prohibit exports of asbestos, with a limited number of exceptions. These provisions ensure that Canada continues to meet its export obligations under international conventions, including the Rotterdam Convention. The regulations and related amendments to the ESECLR come into force on December 30, 2018.
This article is republished and first appeared on the Manning Environmental Law website.
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About the Author
Paul Manning is the principal of Manning Environmental Law and an environmental law specialist certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada. Paul has been selected as one of the world’s leading Environmental Lawyers by Who’s Who Legal: 2016.
Paul advises clients on a wide range of environmental law issues and represents them as counsel before tribunals and the courts. His practice focuses on environmental, energy, planning and Aboriginal law.
Paul holds a Masters degree in Environmental Law and obtained an accreditation in the UK as an expert in Planning Law. He is on the Executive Committee of the National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. Paul has a special interest in renewable energy and climate change regulation and holds a Certificate in Carbon Finance from the University of Toronto.
