Cancer News, Treatment and Research

Just a few months before the Quebec government decided to grant the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine a $58 million loan to help it get on its feet again, Quebec’s Health Minister wrote a letter to a colleague stating that asbestos, cigarettes, and tanning salons are all in the same category, considered among the highest cancer risks to humans. According to the Montreal Gazette, Le Soleil Newspaper acquired a copy of the letter, which was written by Health Minister Yves Bolduc. In the letter, he was supporting a petition presented by the Canadian Cancer Society, proposing that there be tighter regulations in regards to the use of tanning salons by minors. Specifically, Bolduc’s letter stated: “In July of 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer put UV-emitting tanning beds in the category of the highest cancer risks to humans, at the same level as cigarettes or asbestos.” His words leave many wondering why Premier Jean Charest and his cabinet decided to support the reopening of the chrysotile mine when his health minister – and scores of others around the world – has recognized asbestos for the carcinogen that it is. Nonetheless, late last week, Bolduc’s office was scrambling to try to minimize the impact of the contents of the letter, saying the health minister’s comments aren’t inconsistent with the government’s long-time support of the province’s asbestos industry. “There is no contradiction, because nobody is denying there are risks involved with all three of these things, but none of them are banned or illegal. We put regulations in place to reduce risk and that is what we have done with tanning salons and with asbe stos ,” said Natacha Joncas Boudreau, Bolduc’s press attaché. Others say they find the minister’s contents “baffling” and disturbing. “Restarting the Jeffrey Mine is a tragedy for human health across the planet,” said Dr. Fernand Turcott, professor emeritus of public health and preventive medicine at Université Laval. “As for the minister’s comments, these are three sources of cancer that require very different types of intervention In the case of asbestos, there is a clear, unanimous, international scientific consensus that the best course of action is to stop using it,” added Turcotte.