Cctober 10, 1990

WEDNESDAY |

New approach
to facts of life
North Shore Now: 17

Office, Editorial 985-2131 Display Advertising 980-0511 Distribution 986-1337 48 pages 25¢

Shipyard
workers
exposed

to toxic
particles
for decades

44 There’s no doubt
that since the 1920s
there has been
unrestricted exposure
to asbestos in the
shipyards, mostly
because of ignorance
about asbestos. 99
— Bill Scott

THE LEGAL battle involving workers exposed to airborne
asbestos at shipyards in North Vancouver and elsewhere on

the West Coast is heating up.

Marine and Boilermakers’ In-
dustrial Union sceretary-treasurer
Bill Scott said that’ shipyard
workers across B.C., some of
whom are still working at North
Vancouver’s Versatile Pacific
Shipyards Inc., have been exposed
to asbestos for decades.

He said Versatile employees
were working regularly with
asbestos as late as 1986, ignorant
of its potentially serious health
hazards.

Scott’s comments come as law-
yers for a Victoria man dying
from a rare form of cancer
prepare to go to court to sue the
Canadian asbestos industry for
allegedly concealing the health
dangers associated with asbestos.

Last week, the Supreme Court
of Canada rejected requests by the
Canadian asbestos industry to
block a lawsuit initiated by former
Victoria shipyard worker George
Hunt.

Hunt, 65, an electrician for Vic-
toria’s VMD Shipyards from 1940
to 1967, now has mesothelioma, a
fatal form of cancer. In February,
he was given about a year to live.

Hunt's suit, which alleges
negligence and conspiracy against
the asbestos industry, will be a
test case for other shipyard
workers exposed to airborne
asbestos.

According to Hunt’s suit, the
asbestos industry and asbestos
distributors were aware of the
dangers of working around
asbestos as early as 1934, bur did
not release the information.

David Church, one of Hunt's
lawyers at the law firm of Ladner
and Downs, said there are about
60 other actions pending against
the asbestos industry, some of
them resulting from work  per-
formed by shipyard workers at
VPSL.

But Church said it is the
asbestos industry, and not the
shipyard companies, that is to
blame.

“There is no issue here with the
shipyards,” said) Church, ‘Cur
argument is chat they didn't know
any betler than we did."

COMPLETE W

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

Scott said VPSI workers were
exposed to asbestos as lat as
1986.

“The Versatile workers were
sweeping dry asbestos along the
decks of the Princess of Van-
couver in 1986 not knowing what
it was," said Scott. ‘‘The aumber
of people who will be disabled
could be enormous.’’

Last October, an estimated 92
Versatile Shipyard workers were
exposed to airborne asbestos while
they were removing a cement-like
substance from a Russian fishing
vessel.

Asbestos breathed into the lungs
can cause asbestosis, a chronic
lung disease, and mesothelioma, a
very rare but extremely malignant
cancer that affects the chest and
abdominal lining.

The effects of exposure to air-
born asbestos can take decades to
surface.

Scott said the asbestos industry
and the federal government should
have told the general public about
the dangers associated with
asbestos far earlier than they did.

‘‘There’s no doubt that since
the 1920s there has been
unrestricted exposure to asbestos
in the shipyards, mostly because
of ignorance about asbestos,” said
Scott. ‘‘The knowledge of the
health hazards associated with
asbestos surfaced in 1976, and by
1980 it should have been estab-
lished that asbestos was a danger.

“ATL the men in the shipyards
today were around when we built
the large ferries. They had
asbestos all over the piace in
1976.""

Scott added that it took the
death of a well known shipyard
worker at Burrard Dry Docks to
bring into focus for shipyard
workers the dangers of working
around asbestos.

But) Seott said shipyard

See Feds puge &

EEK’S TV LISTINGS: 2

NEWS photo Terry Peters

Recycling effort recognized

GOING GREEN at the North Shore News ... Ecoinfo columnist Peggy Trendell-Whittaker (left)
and News promotions manager Chery! Carter display the special GVRD Recycler of the Year
Award recently presented to the newspaper in recognition of its support of the Going Green
on the North Shore program, in-house recycling efforts and editorial coverage of en-

vironmental issues. See story page 3.

bay