Substance-Specific Issues

Asbestos products intended for application by spraying; prohibition

Substances:

Asbestos; "sprayed products"

Prohibition:

By virtue of inclusion as Item 40 in Part I of Schedule I to the Hazardous Products Act (HPA), no person shall advertise, sell or import

Asbestos products that are destined for application by spraying, other than products that are

(a) included in items 16, 28 and 37, of this Part; or

(b) a mixture of asbestos fibres and bituminous or resinous based binding materials where the fibres are encapsulated with the binder during spraying and the resulting materials are not friable after drying.

• Registration: SOR/89-441, 24 August 1989. Modified SOR/99-472, December 9, 1999.
  
  
• Publication: Canada Gazette, Part II, Vol. 123, No. 19, 13/9/89.

Background:

The spray application of asbestos fibre insulation can generate high levels of airborne asbestos. Item 40 prohibits the advertising, selling or importation of asbestos products destined for application by spraying except for mixtures of asbestos fibres and bituminous or resinous based materials where the fibres are encapsulated with the binder during spraying and the resulting materials are not friable after drying.

Canadian insulation manufacturers voluntarily ceased spraying asbestos insulation in 1973, partly in response to occupational health concerns and partly in response to provincial safety regulations which would have proved costly to implement. Item 40 prevents any reintroduction of this activity and eliminates any exposure of workers and the general public to asbestos fibres resulting from spray application. The only known Canadian sale of asbestos containing products intended for spray application are those for use in automobile rust proofing.

In 1986, the International Labour Organization (ILO) developed Convention No. 162 - Safety in the Use of Asbestos. This Convention provides strict guidelines to protect workers against exposure to asbestos in the workplace.

The addition of Item I-40 to Schedule I was part of the federal government initiative in support of Canadian ratification of the ILO Convention No. 162. Canada was required to establish such a ban in law to meet its obligations in ratification of the ILO Convention.

Reference:

Hazardous Products Act