Canadian Baie Verte Mine Site "Heavily Laden" With Asbestos

March 15, 2006 - A study recently completed at the Baie Verte asbestos mine site in Newfoundland, Canada has reported that the site is rich with airborne asbestos, a fact that concerns both former mine workers and those who live in the vicinity of this now-abandoned mine.

The study, conducted by Amec Earth and Environmental Agency, found that the "mine site buildings are heavily laden with asbestos" and that "it's likely that airborne asbestos fibers preside throughout the site."

The site assessment shows that the mine produced more than two million tons of asbestos in its lifetime, leaving behind more than 200 million tons of waste rock.

The Baie Verte mine was in operation for more than four decades; opening in 1950 and closing permanently in 1995.  However, documentation shows that miners, their families, and nearby residents of the mine have been concerned about asbestos exposure for decades.  Nearly 30 years ago, employees here staged the country’s longest health-related work stoppage to protest the company’s lack of willingness to address the ongoing asbestos concern.

The government of the province of Newfoundland has been slow to release the results of the study, which was commissioned in 2004.  Local environmental groups note that they have not yet been able to read the report.

"Whatever we can release, we will be releasing," said Natural Resources Minister Ed Byrne. "There is no attempt by myself, or by the department or government, to do anything other than give whatever information we can and provide it to the residents or anyone else who wants to have a look at it."

Byrne said “the provincial government plans to carry out a second phase environmental assessment of the mine site,” and that details for this second phase would be available shortly, he noted.  Meanwhile, critics continue to be concerned about the lack of information available to the general public and to miners and their families.