Canada's Ugly Secret

Quebec Asbestos Mine

On Tuesday, June 29, 2010, Mellissa Fung reports on the proposed opening of a new asbestos mine in Quebec, a move that the Canadian Cancer Society says would contribute to a global epidemic of asbestos-related cancers that claims 90,000 lives every year worldwide. 

Canada's Ugly Secret

For decades, Canadians have known how dangerous asbestos can be.  It can cause severe respiratory problems, even lung cancer, which is why there isn't much of a market for Canadian asbestos here at home.  But there is in India, where it's used with practically no safety regulations, and without warnings that it can be deadly.  So why is Canada the last developed nation to still sell such a dangerous substance?  Mellissa Fung files this report on Canada's ugly secret.

This documentary originally aired on June 10, 2009.