Kathleen Ruff wrote an excellent piece in the June Newsletter of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) regarding "Canada's Refused to Allow Asbestos to be Put on United Nations List of Hazardous Substances." Ms. Ruff's article discusses what occurred at the UN Conference in Geneva June 20 to 24, where more than a hundred countries present were on the point of achieving consensus to add chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention's list of hazardous substances. Countries can still export substances on the list, but they must first obtain Prior Informed Consent.
The asbestos lobby has used its political power over the past several years to prevent chrysotile asbestos from being put on the list of hazardous substances, as they deny that chrysotile asbestos is hazardous. So at the meeting in Geneva, Canada again intervened and would not agree to letting chrysotile asbestos be put on the Convention's list of hazardous substances. Canada, single-handedly, destroyed consensus and prevented action on chrysotile asbestos. According to Ms. Ruff, Canada refused to give any reason for its immoral and destructive conduct in sabotaging the Convention. As a consequence, the asbestos industry can continue selling asbestos to developing countries, without giving any information of its hazards.
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