April 11, 2012 – For auto mechanics working with car and truck brakes asbestos exposure poses a lethal risk. Auto mechanics are exposed to brake dust as soon as they remove the circular brake drum from a car or truck wheel. Precautionary measures such as wearing masks and gloves are not particularly effective in preventing exposure to asbestos brake dust because the deadly fibers stick to clothing and equipment even after the car has left the garage bay. The danger is ever present because once the dust is in the garage it is easily disturbed and released back into the air. The only way to truly protect auto mechanics from asbestos exposure is to ban the use of asbestos-laden auto parts, such as brake pads.
Proposed Canadian Bill to Block Import of Asbestos Brake Pads
Existing Canadian health and safety legislation bans manufacturing of asbestos products, ensuring that brake pads manufactured in Ontario do not contain asbestos materials. This legislation has erroneously led auto mechanics to believe that they are safe from brake pad asbestos exposure because unknown to them more than $2.6 million worth of asbestos-laden brake pads entered Canada in 2011. Canadian border agents are not required by the federal government to verify that companies are properly labeling imports containing asbestos. This lack of regulation makes it impossible for auto mechanics to determine if the dust released from the car and truck brakes they are working on contains toxic fibers.
Newly proposed legislation in Ontario is intended to make the workplace safer for auto mechanics by banning the importing of asbestos brake pads. The proposed bill will be the first to block imports of asbestos-laden brakes pads from entering the Canadian market. Although Canadian and American manufacturing companies have replaced the materials in brake pads with safer alternatives, other countries continue to manufacture asbestos-containing brake pads and this proposed bill will stop those products from entering Ontario.
Philadelphia Asbestos Attorneys at Shein Law Help Mesothelioma Victims
The Philadelphia asbestos attorneys at Shein Law are encouraged by any effort on the part of the world’s governments to ban the manufacturing, importing and use of asbestos-containing products. We have represented many auto mechanics who have fallen victim to mesothelioma as a result of unchecked asbestos exposure at work. We have counseled and supported family members who have lost love ones and who themselves have been stricken with an asbestos-related disease as a result of secondhand asbestos exposure. If you or a loved one has been affected by mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness, call our Philadelphia office at 1-877-743-4652 to speak with one of our experienced, knowledgeable asbestos attorneys today or contact us online.