The following was submtt-
ed by our former doctor, Dr.
Steve Navin,

Dr. Navin felt this art-
tele maght reassure some
people who may be worried
about the dangers of dust
and asbestos in the atmos-
phere.

By the end of November
the Navins will be settled
tn Elsa, Y.T. where Dr,
Navin has accepted the pos-
ttton of resident doctor
for United Keno Hill Mines.

The doctor feels that his
wife Nona, wtth all the
training she had from Bill
Plumb and Company should ©
have no trouble in getting
on the pay-roll asa
prospector,

I recently attended, out
of idle curiosity, a symposi-
um on health and the environ-
ment, largely because asbest-
osis and other diseases cause-
d by asbestos were on the
agenda. The symposium was
sponsored by the Workmen's
‘Compensation Board of B.C.
and was well attended by
representatives of industry,
labour, medicine, nursing, and
para-medical sciences.

The meeting on asbestos
was chaired by Dr. Kincade, and
one of the other panelists
was a Dr. Holmes, a physicist
from the Asbestosis Research
Council in England, who was,
in many respects, the star of
the show. What follows is
probably a fair statement of
present facts and opinions re.
asbestos and health.

‘1. A review of the annual
chest X-ray films of men
who have been employed
for many years at Cassiar,
reveals, over the years,
none of the changes that
would be associated with
a developing asbestosis.
Chrysotile, the only sort
of asbestos‘mined or
known to occur in Canada,
is not a potent factor in
the production of disease,
Crocidolite, mined in two

3.

4.

mines in Africa is. No Js
Crocidolite was imported
into the U.K. (England,
Northern Ireland, Scot-
land, and Wales) in 1971-
in fact to use it at all -
there, special government
al permission is required
and this permission is
extremely difficult to
obtain. The asbestos
using companies in the
U.K. have a gentlemen's
agreement not to attempt
to use any Crocidolite.
Apparently none is import
ed into Canada.

Little, if anything, is
known about the effects
on health of Amosite and
Anthophylite, rarer forms
of asbestos - the spellin
-g of the last I had to
look up in a "Dictionary
of Geological Terms".
While the dust that some-
times blows from the Cas-
siar mill to the townsite.
produces tattle-tale prey
in the housewive's beauti-:
ful white sheets, it is
not a health menace any-
more than any other dust.
It consists mostly of
serpentine which is con-
sidered quite harmless by
the experts. It does
contain some asbestos, as
I discovered, but not
enough to cause harm. Of
course all dusts, whether
from blowing earths or
sands, animal excreta,
smoke from forest fires,
coal, or oil being burned

for industrial or domestic
uses; exhausts from motors

etcera, are objectionable,

But we have to live in the 8..

world pretty much as it is,
with the advantages and
disadvantages of all these
things. Obviously we should
try to abate, if not abol-
ish these disadvantages.
This will take lots of
money, time, brains, re-
search, and the efforts of
innumerable people. It is
one of the great problems
of the present day.

The dust levels at Cas-

siar in the rock reject
and the mill have usually

been within acceptable
recognized standards,
which have gradually been
made stricter over the
years. While an area may
seem dusty and dirty, it
is not necessarily a
health menace for that
reason. ;
There have been nineteen
cases of asbestosis and
other cases of lung dis-.
ease due to asbestos in
about twenty years in
British Columbia, all in
southern B.C. and most,

if not all, in the ship
building or ship repair-
ing industry.

An interesting side light
-a British aircraft carr-
ier recently put into the
Portsmouth Naval Dockyard
in England for a major
refit and overhaul. To
the dismay of the 4ock-
yard officials it was
found that much of the
insulation which had been
sprayed on the bulkheads
many years before contain:
ed large quantities of,
Crocidolite. Very special’
and careful precautions
had to be used in the
removal of the old insula
tion. Whether Chrysotile
or some of the newer
insulating materials
used in the refit of
ship of one thing we may
be certain - it will NOT
be, or contain, Crocido-
lite!

Finally ALL asbestos wor-
kers would be well advised
NOT to smoke cigarettes.

are
the

On the 21st of November, a
phone call was received

‘from Dr. Navin on his way

to Elsa - a "hello" to
everyone tn Casstar anda
challenge to Charlie Gander
to a bicycle race! Any bets

A & & RR