When business was good, city kids could write their names in the asbestos dust coming down from the mines, and dust laundry to dry on the outside lines. He said that during World Wars I and II, miners in asbestos supplied materials for ships, aircraft and fireproof soldier uniforms through fertilizers.
“He was a hero, and because of that he took a lot of pride in his work and in the community,” he said. Many historians agree that the long, violent labor strike at the mine in 1949 marked the beginning of a comprehensive political, economic and social change in Quebec known as the Silent Revolution.
The Jeffrey mine officially closed in 2012, after many years of scientists considering asbestos dangerous and cancerous. All types of asbestos, including chrysotile, are carcinogenic, according to the World Health Organization. Exposure can cause cancer of the lungs, larynx and ovaries, as well as mesothelioma and other diseases.
Although many countries, including Canada, took steps to ban its use or production in 2018, the World Health Organization estimated in 2005 that about 125 million people worldwide were exposed to asbestos at work.
Some residents of the city, especially older residents, fought hard against this change, as some French Canadians do not necessarily associate “asbestos” with the deadly mineral because the French word for asbestos is “amiant”.
“Our older people are all in favor of naming asbestos,” Andre Thibodeau, 76, of lifelong asbestos, told CBC News as he cast his ballot. “You don’t change names for anything!”
Young people and small business owners – who may find it difficult to sell products labeled “asbestos” – who pushed hardest for change, said Professor Van Horsen. She said she hopes the name change shows hope for the city’s future.
“The community has been making incredible changes in its history, moving their homes every few years so that Mine can completely change their world when they were finally told what a mineral does for their body,” he said. “They will be able to survive this, and hopefully the beginning of a new era that is not dependent on the toxic industry.”
