November/December 2005

CAW HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT
NEWSLETTER
Published by CAW Health and Safety Department
205 Placer Court, Toronto, Ontario M2H 3H9
Telephone 416-495-6558 or 1-800-268-5763
Fax 416-495-3785 E-mail: cawhse@caw.ca
www.caw.ca/healthsafetyenvironment
Volume 13
No. 6
November/December 2005
Compensation Committee and Nick De Carlo of the
CAW Health and Safety Department, the fight for
reforming the workers’ compensation system to
ensure workers who become injured or ill as a result
of their work, receive workers’ compensation
benefits, is being fought hard and won in the
trenches. Conferences like this one help us to ensure
we share our struggles and our successes.
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
Can Be Prevented
But first they must be recognized!
The focus of our CAW Workers’ Compensation
Conference October 4-6 in Port Elgin was on
occupational diseases, RSIs and stress. So many
CAW members have suffered from occupational
diseases, repetitive strain injuries, back injuries and
stress yet so many have not received workers’
compensation benefits. This is unacceptable.
Dave Wilken and Nick De Carlo
The conference addressed these issues in both
plenary and workshop sessions:
What is the experience in dealing with occupational
disease? What steps do we have to take to address
the issue? What are the latest developments in
occupational disease policy? How are repetitive
strain claims best dealt with? What are the policy
issues? How do we effectively address RSI in the
workplace? How do we deal with workplace
pressures? And finally, how do we use these issues
to build our campaign to change the compensation
system?
Gary Parent
As employers put greater pressure on our members
with respect to competition for jobs we are seeing
more and more of our members suffering from
repetitive strain injuries and stress. We also know
that thousands of workers are afflicted by
occupational disease with few realizing it or
claiming for it. These are major issues of concern to
our union and our membership. Under the
leadership of the CAW Council Workers’
1
Cathy Walker went through the letter-writing
campaign to the Ontario Minister of Labour. All of
the participants wrote personal, hand-written letters
to the Minister on the need for an ergonomics
regulation.
Mary Cook
Occupational Diseases
Representatives of the Workplace Safety and
Insurance Board, Maureen Mullen and Joe Cichello
explained that things have changed for the better at
the WSIB concerning occupational disease. Dave
Wilken of IAVGO (Injured Accident Victims Group
of Ontario) explained the hoops that workers and
unions have to go through in order to establish
occupational disease claims. John Oudyk from
OHCOW (Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario
Workers) explained the risks of occupational
asthma.
Dr. Jim McKenzie
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE CLUSTERS
CAW Workplaces and Locals
We are working with a number of our locals and
OHCOW (Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario
Workers) on clusters of occupational disease for a
number of CAW workplaces.
RSI Claims
Peterborough - General Electric and Ventra
Plastics
Catherine Fenech & Peter Page
Constanza Duran from Injured Workers Consultants
gave and introduction to attempting to establish RSI
claims and was followed by Dr. Jim MacKenzie and
Mary Cook from OHCOW. Injured Workers
Movement activists Steve Mantis and Catherine
Fenech were on hand to explain the suffering of
workers who experience work-related injuries and
their campaigns to fight back to establish claims.
The campaign for an ergonomics regulation was an
important conclusion to the day’s session where
Paul Edwards and Judy Kondrat
There have been ongoing efforts by OHCOW’s
Toronto clinic to see and assess the over 800
workers who came out to two CAW clinics in May
of last year. So far this has led to filing a number of
workers’ compensation claims. After an extensive
amount of organizing in the community and political
lobbying we have been successful in getting funding
2
policy issues still being reviewed by or debated with
the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
We are also part of efforts to challenge the WSIB
policy on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease at the
WSIAT (Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals
Tribunal). The WSIB only partly compensates
workers found to have suffered from this disease.
for OHCOW for the Peterborough project. This
covers time for doctors, nurse, hygienist and
administration.
We are also working with the Peterborough and
District Labour Council to build a labour campaign
for the recognition of occupational and
environmental disease as a public health issue and
for labour and community input into the plans and
activities of the public health unit.
There is also an extensive amount of work remaining
with respect to reviewing files and responding to
questions from workers and their families as part of
the process of closing of files. In some respects the
work will not end for a long time as new specific
questions and issues arise related to claims already
in and as those who are still getting sick due to the
long latency period between exposure and the
development of occupational disease, approach the
local to file new claims.
So far the claims filed are as follows:
General Electric:
Claims Filed: 175, 48 of which are for
workers who are deceased.
Claims Allowed - 13 lung cancer; 1 kidney
cancer; 1 laryngeal cancer; 1 colon cancer; 1
asbestosis; 2 pleural plaques
Types of claims filed:
Cancers claims – lung, mesothelioma,
stomach, bladder, lymphoma and nonHodgkins lymphoma, leukemia, kidney,
laryngeal, esophageal, gastro-intestinal,
tongue, pancreas, skin and;
Claims for asbestosis, berylliosis, and
asthma.
Ventra Plastics:
Claims filed – 9
Claims filed for non-Hodgkins lymphoma,
asthma, lung fibrosis, asthma and
neurological damage.
Maureen Mullen, WSIB
Steve Sharpe, President of CAW Local 456 has
been taking over the work since the death of Karen
Willsey. Sister Willsey is sorely missed by all in the
local and the community. Brother Sharpe is being
assisted by Brent Davis of the Office of the Worker
Advisor.
Owen Sound - PPG
Approximately 70 workers came out to an intake
clinic held in conjunction with Local 248 last
November. The Hamilton OHCOW clinic is
working with our members to do assessments and
determine which workers are suffering from
occupational illness. Nine claims have been filed to
date.
General Chemical
We are working with Local 89 and OHCOW
Windsor to follow up on a cluster of 5 brain cancers
coming out of the General Chemical plant in
Amherstburg. All of these workers are deceased.
OHCOW has conducted extensive research which
points to exposure at General Chemical as a
contributor to these cancers. So far only one claim
has been accepted.
Holmes Foundry
The number of new claims at Holmes Foundry from
exposures to asbestos, silica, isocyanates and other
foundry and insulation hazards is winding down to a
trickle. Many years of hard work have yielded
significant results in terms of compensation (well
over $20 million) to workers, their families and the
community. Several major hurdles remain. There
are claims that have not yet been resolved due to
3
(Windsor, St. Catharines, London, Barrie, Thunder
Bay, Timmins, Sudbury, Sarnia, Hamilton,
Peterborough and from four different injured worker
groups and communities in Toronto). The focus of
the conference was building the capacity and
outreach of injured workers. CAW members are
active in organizing injured workers in Timmins,
Windsor, St. Catharines and London.
CAW Workers’ Compensation Instructors
VERN EDWARDS
On Occupational Diseases
Constanza Duran and Steve Mantis
We have been suggesting that the health care costs
to taxpayers from occupational disease cases not
recognized by the WSIB could be as high as one
billion dollars. No one in government has
challenged this.
Many injured workers were attending this kind of
event for the first time. Their reaction was “I didn’t
know this kind of organization existed”. They left
the conference determined to be active in the
movement and to organize others.
I have received a research report from the National
Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC). Approximately
one tenth of one percent of the NCIC’s cancer
research budget was for research into occupational
cancer. In 1999 it was for a single research project
looking at the connection between solvents and
breast cancer. Considering that they (NCIC)
estimate that nine percent of cancer deaths are
caused by work, this is an area significantly underfunded.
The immediate organizing focus for the injured
worker movement is demonstrations across the
province to take place on December 9th. Cathy
Walker, Director of the Health & Safety Department
will be addressing injured workers’ demonstrations
in Toronto and St. Catharines on December 9th.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Vern Edwards,
Occupational Health and Safety Director
Ontario Federation of Labour
Campaign for Kyoto
INJURED WORKERS’ MOVEMENT
In Solidarity, December 9th
Demonstrations
We have been working closely with the Ontario
Network of injured Workers Groups (ONIWG), of
which we are associate members, to rebuild the
injured worker movement. ONIWG recently had a
successful conference on September 27th with
injured worker delegates from 10 different cities
4
2050 are required to have hope for stabilizing the
situation.
The Government of Canada is hosting the Eleventh
Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and the first Meeting of the Parties (MOP 1) to the
Kyoto Protocol 28 November to 9 December 2005 at
the Palais des Congrès in Montréal, Québec. The
most important objective of this conference is
negotiating what will happen beyond the Kyoto
deadline (2012) regarding international efforts to
reduce greenhouse gases.
As a result there is a major effort to unite labour,
environmentalists and other supporters to come to
Montreal to participate in the many activities taking
place at and around COP11/MOP1. The objective is
to put a public focus on the issue and the role that
Canada plays.
The UN conference begins a process likely to last
several years to develop the post 2012 plan. The
department, under the leadership of Assistant to the
President, Peggy Nash, will be joining with the CLC
and other unions to support these efforts and build
awareness among our environmental activists –
giving them the tools to educate our membership
and build support.
Our union will be focussing on the following two
events:
Wednesday December 7, 1.0-3.0 pm: ICFTU Trade
Union Side Event, with the title, National
Frameworks for the World of Work”.
Thursday December 8, all day: Canadian Labour
Congress Forum with international union and
environmental speakers and discussion of strategy in
Canada.
The meetings are expected to attract more than 7,000
participants from the Convention's 189 Parties as
well as from non-governmental organizations,
intergovernmental organizations and the world's
media. Because Canada is chairing the conference it
will play a pivotal role.
Our union is sending a leadership group to meet with
Canadian Government officials and participate in the
CLC and ICFTU meetings of December 7th and 8th.
The focus of the two weeks will be on consolidating
the Kyoto process by formally accepting ratification,
refining the mechanisms that need to be put in place,
and to begin the next round of negotiations for what
will happen after 2012 when the period covered by
the Kyoto Accord ends. Obviously there are
concerns that the US, Australia, and industry
interests will try to stall the international climate
change process.
In addition, December 3rd is an international day to
focus attention on climate change. We will be
encouraging our activists to participate in events in
their community.
PLANET IN FOCUS
Films on Environment
At a conference of the Climate Action Network,
internationally renowned experts reported that the
predicted effects of climate change have been
verified by experience. In fact the warming effects
are taking place faster and more precipitously than
originally expected. International co-operation to
address climate change is more vital than ever and
time for decisive action is running out. Significant
reductions in the order of 30% by 2020 and 80% by
Planet in Focus is an environmental film festival
held each year in Toronto.
This winter, as part of their mandate to bring
environmental films to the community, they are
organizing a cross country tour to do showings
in communities from coast to coast. A key
objective of the tour is to make films accessible
5
in small communities. In fact they are more
interested in reaching workers in communities
than in big box office showings. They are also
EXTENDED PRODUCER
very interested in working with our local unions and
using union halls for showings.
Jobs for the Auto Industry
RESPONSIBILITY
A committee with representatives from each of the
CAW Big Three Councils has been set up to look at
the strategies for deepening our campaign for
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the auto
industry. The committee has had its first meeting
and another is scheduled for the week of the
December Council.
The committee is developing a plan of action based
on a specific analysis of the issues posed by the
situation in the Canadian auto industry and is
working with other organizations to research the
issues.
The CAW is participating in these efforts by
encouraging our locals to sponsor an environmental
film event in their local or/and to join a broader film
event in their community. A film festival can be a
tool to increase interest in the environment in the
local union memberships. It should also help
activists in locals which do not have large or active
environment committees. They can use it to build
interest and to find others who might want to join
the committee.
EPR has been put on the agenda at each of the Big
Three as a result of agreements in the recent set of
negotiations reached at each of them to meet with
our committees to review developments in this area
as part of a review of new technologies in the auto
industry.
FOOD
You Are What You Eat
Representing the CAW Health and Safety
Department, Nick De Carlo attended the 3rd
National Food Security Assembly September 30 October 2 in Waterloo that set in place the structures
of a national organization for food security. The
right to healthy food is increasingly being seen as an
important reference point to understand how
environmental degradation is affecting our health
and future; to organize awareness of the level of the
importance of the environment our lives; to build
environmentally safe alternatives for future
development; and to build alliances between social
justice organizations, environmentalists and the
labour movement.
John Oudyk, Heat Stress Expert
We are working with Planet in Focus to determine
locations where screenings could take place. The
“mini festivals” could be anything from an evening
to a three day weekend event – depending on the
location and the interest.
The objectives of the conference were to
ƒ Strengthen Canada's food security
movement through learning, and sharing
diverse approaches led by rural, urban and
aboriginal communities.
There would be several common films for showing
across the country and others that could be chosen
specifically tailored to the community (union local)
in which they are showing. We will consult on the
selection of films.
6
ƒ
ƒ
Despite those findings, train engineers say CN
increased the length of trains using the track to as
many as 130 cars after it took over BC Rail in 2004.
Contribute towards skill development,
capacity building, networking, and
information sharing among the multi
sectoral stakeholders in the food system.
Establish the national food security
organization
But after the most recent incident, Lapierre ordered
CN to cut the length of conventional trains along the
route to 80 cars and threatened to launch a public
inquiry if CN does not act quickly to improve safety
performance.
The CLC participated in forming this new national
organization and is encouraging affiliates to join and
support it. We will be reporting these developments
to the food workers’ sector of our union.
CN purchased BC Rail for $1 billion from the B.C.
government two years ago and incorporated the
provincial railway into its North American system in
July 2004.
CN RAIL KNEW OF DANGERS
But still increased train length
Since August there have been three notable
derailments along the BCR line, including one
involving nine cars near Horseshoe Bay last week,
and a chemical spill that devastated fish populations
in the Cheakamus River.
CN Rail, threatened by Transport Minister Jean
Lapierre with a public inquiry after a series of
derailments on the former BC Rail line, knew as
early as 1997 that the line posed exceptional hazards
to rail traffic.
Transport Canada is still allowing trains longer than
80 cars to use the former BC Rail line as long as CN
puts remotely operated locomotives at midpoint on
the train -- although the Transportation Safety Board
has noted that remote locomotives failed to engage
during the Cheakamus spill.
According to CAW Local 110, the union
representing train engineers on the former BC Rail
line, CN has cut the number of trains along the route
to one per day, compared to three per day when BC
Rail was an independent operator.
That led to a corresponding increase in the number
of cars on each train -- from 80 to 130 in keeping
with a nationwide CN initiative to boost train length.
CAW Local 110 president Todd Wallace said
Tuesday the change has added to the risk of
derailment.
A March 2003 study by the National Research
Council of Canada, based on CN-BCR research
conducted in 1997, noted that BC Rail standards
were "generally more restrictive" in terms of track
building standards and maintenance than the
Transport Canada standards governing national
railroads such as CN, which normally operate on
straighter tracks and on flatter terrain.
"Our one big concern is the train length that they're
running now as opposed to what they were running
with BC Rail," Wallace said.
In some instances, the study noted, BC Rail had
tightened its operational standards for twists and
"They run a totally different kind of operation on
that grade than BC Rail did. It's very technically
demanding and we don't really believe CN
appreciates how difficult that is.
turns to a degree significantly higher than Transport
Canada's "in order to reduce derailments and
improve track safety."
"Most of their railway [across Canada] is fairly flat
and the curvature is good."
7
Wallace also noted that the majority of senior BC
Rail engineers took buyouts and that younger
engineers do not have as much experience in dealing
with the demanding nature of the line.
good." "What that means is that, whilst from a
geometry standpoint the track wasn't very good, it
was actually safe to run on because the forces are
low," Sawley said.
"There is a little bit of pressure put on our members
and a lot of the senior engineers we had, especially
down there [based in Greater Vancouver], are gone.
They took buyouts when CN took over. We have a
handful of more junior engineers, and they are under
a little bit more pressure, most definitely, especially
with the shortage of crews and the CN marshalling
restrictions."
However, Conservative transportation critic James
Moore said the study adds further strength to his
argument that the federal Liberals have failed to
make needed updates to the Canadian transportation
act. Moore claimed the Liberals have been
preoccupied with airline regulation and security
since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World
Trade Center towers in New York. "When it comes
to transport policy, the federal Liberals haven't
gotten their legs back under them yet," Moore said.
He noted that a non-partisan review of the Canada
Transportation Act has 92 recommendations in it,
including new regulations on rail safety. "So this is
something that is not totally unpredictable given the
lack of focus that Ottawa has had on transportation
for going on four years now."
CN spokesman Mark Hallman said the company's
statistics show there have been fewer derailments
along the line since the takeover. "It is substantially
lower than it was when it was run by the B.C.
provincial government," Hallman said. He added
that CN had taken steps to lessen the risk of
derailments even before Lapierre issued his notice,
including an internal safety audit. "Our
investigations so far have not turned up any common
thread amongst these accidents. We're working as
hard as we can." Hallman said the railway's actions
include "safety blitzes," operational audits,
mechanical inspections and rail track inspections.
Meanwhile, an international group of transportation
afficionados, lauded CN as a safe railway. "That is
borne out in the statistics," said Harry Gow,
founding president of Transport 2000 Canada.
"That said, CN has an operating philosophy to stuff
the maximum number of cars into the minimum
number of trains possible." Gow noted that some
former CN executives have publicly questioned the
wisdom of such extended train lengths, on the
premise that the dynamics of trains can be
compromised on curved or graded track.
"Try to find a straight, flat piece of track on BC Rail.
Even if it's flat, it's curved. Going around Horseshoe
Bay up to Squamish, it's like a snake, even if it's at
water level. Then you get into the mountains and it's
both curved and graded.
The 2003 study made several recommendations
aimed at gleaning more information about the
potential risks posed by track curves such as those
on the former BC Rail line, but a government
spokesman said there has been no follow-up.
Instead, the federal government is awaiting the
results of a similar study being undertaken by a U.S.
railway transport agency, said Kevin Sawley,
director of engineering for the National Research
Council's railway vehicles sector. Sawley noted that
the 2003 study found that most physical forces that
could cause a derailment were "quite low, even at
those locations where the track geometry wasn't too
"Lengthy trains, particularly if they are composed of
a variety of types of cars don't always cope well with
that kind of terrain and you sometimes get
derailments, as you've seen near Squamish twice
lately.
"The implication is that train dynamics are going to
have to be taken seriously in future and even CN,
which is generally a safe railway, is going to have to
revisit this issue itself, whatever Transport Canada
does."
8
The Health and Safety Course will provide you with
the resources to truly be a Health and Safety
Activist!
This article appeared in the Vancouver Sun on
November 9, 2005.
NEW PEL HEALTH
In Solidarity
Sister Kelly Wolff
CAW Local 1285
AND SAFETY COURSE
Nobody is keeping it a secret!
The PEL Health & Safety course was written by
Steve Watson of our Education Department with the
assistance of the Health & Safety Department. Kelly
Wolff is one of our many excellent, rank-and-file
discussion leaders.
The newly revised and well designed 40 hour Health
and Safety program being offered at the CAW
Education Center in Port Elgin through our Paid
Education Leave (PEL) program is one which all of
our CAW members should be encouraged to attend.
The course has the ability to draw from participants,
passion and enthusiasm leaving them empowered
with positive impressions and attitudes.
STUDENT POWER
Protecting our kids from chemicals
By Erica Johnson
Georgia Straight, November 3, 2005
Barbara Docherty knew there was something wrong
as soon as she opened the door of her son’s
elementary school. “It was really stinky,” she says.
“The smell just hit me in the face.”
The East Vancouver school, Laura Secord
elementary, was getting a paint job. According to
Docherty, it’s an old school, with small windows
and poor ventilation. Docherty’s son told her that
kids were covering their faces with their arms in the
lunchroom because the paint fumes were so awful.
He said he had a really bad headache. And a kid with
asthma had an attack. Docherty wondered if the
paint was the cause, but she soon discovered that
neither she nor her son had the right to find out.
PEL, H&S Class
The course has adopted a fresh perspective and
weaves together many different aspects of the
importance of workplace health and safety through a
combination of different mediums: video,
photography, music, powerful quotations and
campaigns. This allows us to recognize our rights,
the power behind our voices and to remember the
difficult struggles of the workers before our time.
“Neither I, as a parent, or my kids are entitled to find
out what chemicals are used on the school grounds,”
Docherty says. “That seems to be a small problem.”
The CAW campaigns inspire, stimulate interest and
create awareness. As workers, health and safety is
our priority. We are all entitled to a workplace free
from harm. We need to know the risks of our
hazardous environments and to not allow our
employers and governments to intimidate us.
Not so small, according to Mae Burrows, executive
director of the Labour Environmental Alliance
Society (LEAS). She’s worried about the number of
potentially toxic chemicals that kids are exposed to
in schools and on school grounds and says that
information shouldn’t be kept secret from parents
and students. “Workers—teachers, janitors, and
secretaries—have the right to know what hazardous
materials they may be exposed to on school
property, but that right doesn’t extend to parents and
students. They’re powerless.”
Over the course of the week, the program reaches
out, allowing for discussion on strategies and tactics
for mobilizing workers. Remember, change begins
the determination and courage of the working
people.
9
like that shouldn’t be put on walls while children are
in class,” Docherty says. “And this painting was
supposed to go on for six weeks!”
Burrows is calling for a Students’ Environmental
Bill of Rights, a bill she’d like to see endorsed by
school boards across the province, which would give
students and their parents the right to find out what
toxic materials are being used in their school.
“We’re very concerned about health trends we’re
seeing in young people,” Burrows says. “After
accidents, childhood cancers are now the leading
cause of death in Canadian children. There’ve been
huge increases in asthma rates, chemical
sensitization, and learning disorders, and I’m hearing
about girls hitting puberty as young as seven or eight
years old. That’s just not right.”
Burrows says parents and students would be amazed
to learn how many harmful chemicals are contained
in products used to clean walls, carpets, desks, and
every corner of a school.
She blames chemical manufacturers and savvy
media campaigns for convincing us that we need
these chemicals. “After the World Wars, chemical
manufacturers had to create demand for things like
chlorine because chlorine gas wasn’t in high demand
anymore,” she says. “So we’ve been taught that
‘more is better’, ‘stronger is better’, ‘chemical is
better’.”
Burrows and LEAS have three toxic targets on their
hit list: carcinogens (substances that can cause
cancer), reproductive toxins (which can damage
sperm and cause infertility in women), and so-called
gender benders, or endocrine disrupters (chemicals
whose similarity to hormones confuses the body and
disrupts natural hormones). According to Burrows,
many of these hazardous ingredients are found in the
cleaning products employed to keep schools germfree. But they can also be found in the treated wood
used in woodworking class, in the diesel fuel
handled by children in automotive workshops, and
in the formaldahyde used in science class. The list
goes on.
“We call it chemical trespass,”
Burrows says. “In the past few
decades, tens of thousands of new
chemicals have hit the market and a
lot of them are toxic to human health
and the environment. We think
students and parents have a
fundamental right to know if these
chemicals are being used where children are forced
by law to spend the majority of their day.”
Mae Burrows
And unless you’re a worker in a school, the only
way you can see the list of substances in use is to
find someone who has access to MSDS sheets.
“There’s so much fear about this,” Burrows says.
“I’ve had people meet me after hours and hand me a
brown paper envelope. A lot of people say, ‘I know I
shouldn’t be giving you these,’ and we’re talking
about freaking MSDS sheets! We shouldn’t have to
be so covert about chemicals that are so widely in
use.”
At Laura Secord elementary, principal Kerri Wallin
offered to help Docherty in her quest to find out just
what was in the paint. She gave Docherty the list of
the paint’s ingredients from the manufacturer, called
a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). “Lo and
behold, the paint was full of really vile stuff,”
Docherty says. “It had a really high VOC level.”
When LEAS researchers did an assessment of
cleaning products being used in the Burnaby school
district three years ago, they were shocked to find
methylene chloride in a heavy-duty carpet-stain
remover. The World Health Organization’s
International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC) has determined that methylene chloride is a
human carcinogen. It may also cause liver, kidney,
and brain damage. Besides finding methylene
chloride, LEAS also found that two germicidal
VOCs are volatile organic compounds. The airborne
solvents can be toxic: they can cause headaches,
convulsions, central nervous system damage,
dizziness, and fatigue. They can trigger asthma and
cause cancer. “It seems like a no-brainer that stuff
10
the products we’re using are also used in universities
and hospitals, so how bad can they be?”
cleaners being used in the schools contained a liver,
blood, and kidney toxin, a suspected reproductive
toxin, an endocrine disruptor, and another ingredient
that is toxic to the central nervous system and
respiratory tract.
That’s the question scientists around the world are
trying to answer. In a groundbreaking study in 2002,
the Washington, D.C.–based watchdog organization
Environmental Working Group tested the blood and
urine of nine healthy individuals and made an
alarming discovery; each person was contaminated
by an average of 91 chemicals, most of which didn’t
exist 75 years ago. Now a growing number of
scientists believes that every person in North
America is carrying dozens of chemicals in the
bloodstream that are foreign to the human body. But
are they causing harm?
The union that represents janitorial workers and
other support staff is also concerned about this
situation. “It was quite an eye opener,” says Brent
Farbridge, a CUPE health and safety representative
in Burnaby. “When you have to clean something,
you want to use something strong, but we don’t want
our workers—or kids at school—getting exposed to
toxic stuff.”
CUPE workers took their concerns to management,
but making the switch to safer products wasn’t easy.
“Nobody likes the union telling management what to
do,” Farbridge says. “But in the end, they did the
right thing. We worked with management and found
some safer, greener alternatives, and that’s what
we’re using today.”
One of the first to raise concerns about endocrine
disrupters was scientist Pete Myers. In 1996, he
coauthored Our Stolen Future, a book that heavily
influenced Burrows. The book links chemicals in the
environment to serious health effects in animals and
in people. And the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency is conducting ongoing studies suggesting
that low-dose exposure to toxic chemicals can cause
adverse health effects ranging from asthma, cancer,
chronic bronchitis, and heart and lung disease to
premature death.
Surprisingly, switching to safer products didn’t end
up costing more. Farbridge says some of the newer
alternatives were a bit more expensive, but the
review led to cleaning staff following product
directions more closely, so they now save money by
using smaller amounts of products.
But not all school districts have been so cooperative.
LEAS analyzed cleaners used in Victoria schools
and found products containing a carcinogen, an
endocrine disruptor, and other toxic ingredients. But
when Burrows asked the school board’s manager of
operations, Seamus Howley, to replace the products,
he said he was stuck—he’d signed a contract with a
supplier for three more years. “And you know,”
Howley says, “I don’t believe the product is risky
when it’s diluted and used properly.”
But opposition—fuelled largely by industry
groups—contends that low doses of toxic chemicals
are okay. For some toxic chemicals that may be true,
but when it comes to carcinogens and endocrine
disrupters, scientists don’t know what level of
exposure might trigger cell changes that lead to
cancer. They also don’t know what damage might be
caused by repeated exposure.
Howley says another product—a toilet cleaner with
a toxic chemical—is “only used in the evenings by
trained staff”. But Burrows wonders how someone is
trained to use a reproductive toxin “properly”. “It’s
like, ‘Let me show you how to smoke that cigarette
“properly” so that you don’t ingest any of its 69
chemicals or 11 known human carcinogens.’?”
So Burrows advocates what’s known as the
precautionary principle. “Since we don’t know at
what level toxic chemicals can cause harm, why use
them at all when we have safer alternatives? My
mom used to say, ‘Better safe than sorry.’?”
Howley claims he’s continually reviewing what’s in
use and substituting “greener” products when he’s
satisfied they’re as effective. “We may not be
moving as quickly as some people would like, but
Not everyone agrees with Burrows or her mother.
Economist Jeremy Brown of the corporate-backed
11
Burrows says. “We’re just breaking through the
consciousness barrier here.”
Fraser Institute says cost has to be taken into
consideration. “I think it’s okay if parents at private
schools want to overhaul the janitor’s closet, but if
you start buying safer products for public schools,
who is going to cover the price for that? Taxpayers.”
Brown is not convinced that toxic chemicals in
school products will necessarily affect children.
“Say there’s a carcinogen in a floor cleaner. If you
touch the floor and lick your finger, you’re not
getting nearly enough of the chemical to be a
problem.”
Ultimately, Burrows would like British Columbia to
follow the example of New York state, which just
passed legislation that protects children, teachers,
and all personnel from toxic cleaning products
commonly used by schools.
Until then, Barbara Docherty is a big supporter of a
bill of rights for parents and students. “I’m totally in
favour,” she says. “It doesn’t make you happy when
you learn what kids are getting exposed to at
school.”
Brown admits he’s just “guessing” there wouldn’t be
a problem. He believes cleaning products are
“basically safe” because they’re sold for use in
schools. But, in fact, companies are not required to
conduct basic health and safety testing for the vast
majority of the chemicals produced. According to
Environmental Working Group, there are more than
85,000 chemicals in use across North America and
only 10 percent have been tested for potential health
and environmental effects.
And it’s almost impossible to know where those
chemicals will show up because, unlike in Europe,
Canadian laws don’t require chemical companies to
label the ingredients in cleaning products—you have
to refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (the sheet
students and parents are not entitled to see).
LEAS Board of Directors and Staff
Mae Burrows of LEAS is an active member of CAW
Local 3000. CAW National Representative Denise
Kellahan is President of LEAS and CAW Local
2002 health and safety representative, Pam Taylor,is
a member of the Board of Directors of LEAS.
At Laura Secord elementary, Barbara Docherty
spent several weeks meeting with school officials
and wrote more than 30 e-mails before it was
decided that the toxic paint would be replaced with a
water-based latex. “I’m just lucky I had the time to
fight this,” Docherty says. “Most parents don’t, so
these products shouldn’t be used in the first place.”
Because of input from Docherty and other concerned
parents, the Vancouver school board now has a
policy of using less toxic latex paint instead of oil
whenever possible.
WORKERS ARE DYING FOR A LIVING
Alan Pickesgill
Ontario workplaces continue to be very dangerous
places to be in. The Workplace Safety and Insurance
Board allowed claims for almost 300 work-related
deaths in 2004. There were over 90,000 allowed
claims for lost-time injuries. There is no indication
that the numbers will drop when the dust settles on
2005.
Burrows knows that her campaign to get toxic
chemicals out of the school environment won’t be
won overnight, which is why she says her Students’
Environmental Bill of Rights is so important and
why LEAS hopes the idea catches on among schooltrustee candidates during the upcoming school-board
elections.
These terrible statistics came to Guelph in October,
when a Linamar worker was crushed to death in a
grinding machine. When William Xu went to work
on the morning of Oct. 28 he likely had plans for the
future, dreams for his daughter, a vision of a good
life spread out before him. When he left home, his
wife and daughter had every expectation that he
would come home again. Instead, he fell into the
“If there are chemicals in schools that have been
linked to asthma, to cancer, that’s a big deal,”
12
that killed Xu until Linamar ensures it is "equipped
with a guarding device and that its operating controls
are located in such a manner that a worker is not
endangered." Part of the tragedy surrounding
industrial fatalities is that we all stand around
waiting for the horse to bolt from the barn before we
think to close the doors.
tragic abyss of statistics that claim far too many
working men and women in our province.
During a month in which we remember the brave
men and women who died in wartime, we should
also remember the brave men and women who die at
work. Their loss is no less poignant. In some ways,
perhaps, it is more so. Our parents and grandparents
who fell victim to the violence of the Second World
War over 60 years ago were at least fighting in a
noble cause. They were, for the most part, trained
and equipped to deal with the battlefield hazards
they would confront. In too many cases, workers are
not.
Workers at Linamar, just as those working for other
employers, have access to most of the proven control
methods that can eliminate industrial injuries and
fatalities. They can get training. They can get
guarding. They can have an occupational health and
safety committee. They have a lot of legislation on
their side. However, there is one important piece of
the jigsaw puzzle they are missing: a union.
Numerous studies, anecdotal evidence and direct
experience have all shown that compliance with
occupational health and safety legislation is much
higher in unionized workplaces than it is in those
without a union. Laws, regulations and standards are
all well and good, but if they are not enforced they
are just words. The practice of occupational health
and safety is based on the Internal Responsibility
System. Recent Ontario governments have cut back
the number of Ministry of Labour inspectors and
rely instead on voluntary compliance by employers.
Sadly, this does not work.
Alan Pickersgill
The Ministry of Labour is investigating the incident
that killed William Xu. It would not be fair to either
the worker or the company to prejudge the outcome
of this. There could be a judgment made about the
level of training provided at Linamar, and the
adequacy of lock-out systems on their machinery.
A good union lifts the fine concepts that lie behind
the laws and puts them into practice in the
workplace. They present some compelling reasons
for compliance with the law. Would William Xu still
be alive today if Linamar workers were protected by
a union? That's impossible to know. What we do
know is that the odds would have been considerably
more in his favour.
But still, the fact remains that a worker died. He
wasn't in some far-off land defending your freedom.
He was in Guelph, making parts for your car. He
should still be doing it. He should be going to work
and earning his paycheque next week, next month,
and next year. While we may not know yet what
factors came into play to cause this particular death,
we do know that all industrial fatalities are
preventable. Not just some of them. All of them.
This article appeared in the Guelph Mercury on
November 8, 2005, just before Remembrance
Day. Alan Pickersgill was a member of the
CAW and has retired from the Workers Health
and Safety Centre.
There are recognizable hazards in every workplace.
There are also proven methods that can be taken to
either eliminate or control them. Machinery can be
guarded, and workers can be trained to ensure that
guards are in place and functioning properly before
they operate the machine. It was reported on Nov. 1
that the Ministry of Labour shut down the grinder
But still the fact remains that a worker died. He
wasn't in some far-off land defending your freedom.
He was in Guelph, making parts for your car.
13
that is all too common in political circles.
ON THE ROAD TO QUITTING
“The best way to deal with a pandemic is to isolate it
and keep it isolated in the region in which it begins,”
Mr. Bush said.
Guide to becoming a non-smoker
While we’ve been more and more successful in
ridding our workplaces of second-hand smoke, we
all know that smoking is a difficult addiction to
conquer. Some say that tobacco is more addicting
than heroin. Most smokers want to quit and smokers
need help to overcome this habit.
That’s not true.
The best way to deal with a potential pandemic is to
prevent it in the first place. And, because the spread
of viruses is not entirely avoidable, mitigation is
essential.
In public health, the most successful war is the one
that is averted.
Here’s a very useful Health Canada site with
www.Gosmokefree.ca. It provides information and
includes a helpful tool, the E-Quit programme that
gives smokers the opportunity to be engaged and
receiving ongoing tips and advice during their
attempts to quit. You can go to the above web-site
and choose “quit smoking” or you can double-click
on this URL:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/quitcesser/index_e.html
Averting disease is not as sexy as sending in the
troops, and voiding the spread of potentially deadly
bugs it not going to garner as many headlines as
imposing quarantines. But it is a heck of a lot more
effective.
We know who is the most vulnerable to outbreaks of
infectious disease: The frail and elderly, the poor,
people with chronic illnesses such as asthma and
heart disease, and young children whose immune
systems have not yet developed.
WE SHOULD BE TALKING
PREVENTION
Not Reacting to a Flu Pandemic
George Bush says he would impose sweeping
quarantines and call in the military to help enforce
them during an influenza pandemic.
A fat lot of good that will do.
Once an outbreak or epidemic hits, it will be
virtually impossible to help them. The best defence
against the feared avian influenza pandemic is to
improve the health of all citizens, with a particular
emphasis on the most vulnerable.
That means employment opportunities, income
support, decent housing, breaking isolation, home
care, chronic-disease management plans, vaccination
and other basic health measures that are not related
to a pandemic per se.
The “kill bugs dead” machismo is no doubt
motivated by domestic political concerns, but the
U.S. President’s comments demonstrate a
fundamental lack of understanding of public health
We also need to build a sound public-health
14
The WHO later said the actually figure was two
million to 7.4 million deaths.
infrastructure so that we are ready if and when a
pandemic strain of influenza does strike. Yet, in
Canada, the infrastructure has been decimated by
decades of indifference, a situation that was
flagrantly exposed by the 2003 SARS outbreak, and
that is only being slowly redressed.
In Canada, the PHAC estimates that a pandemic
strain of influenza could kill 11,000 to 54,000
people. It could leave as many as 138,000 in
hospital, and 10.6 million Canadians so sick they
would be unable to work.
A pandemic obviously has the potential to be
devastating, economically and otherwise.
But we need to keep our wits about us.
It is not at all clear whether H5N1, the current strain
of influenza sweeping through poultry populations
in parts of Asia, is the big one. Since 2003, millions
of birds have been slaughtered as a preventive
measure, and 65 people have died. But there is no
clear evidence yet of human-to-human transmission
that would lead to a pandemic.
Canada, to its credit, has a good pandemic
preparedness plan. The Public Health Agency of
Canada would likely respond quickly and efficiently
to the arrival of a pandemic strain of influenza.
(And it would be helped by the fact that flu strains
almost always originate in Asia and travel from east
to west.) The PHAC has stockpiled the antiviral
drug oseltamivir phosphate, better known as
Tamiflu. The agency has also made provisions for
emergency production of a vaccine as soon as one is
available for the new strain.
But drugs and vaccines are only part of the equation.
How are we going to get them to people during a
public-health emergency?
The most logical approach is easily accessible public
institutions such as schools. But schools in this
country are public-health wastelands: Most no
longer even have a nurse, and can barely handle nitpicky duties, let alone a pandemic strain of
influenza.
Another key element of dealing with a public-health
emergency is good communication. The
performances by Mr. Bush, and one in late
September by World Health Organization official
David Nabarro, demonstrate the dangers of
hyperbole.
“The most menacing bioterrorist is Mother
Nature herself,” science journalist Madeline
Drexler says.
Mr. Bush talked about people being confined to their
homes and guarded by armed soldiers. Dr. Nabarro
speculated that the pandemic flu could kill an
astonishing 150 million people.
15
through audience participation. The group was also
entertained by the King George Public School grade
5 choir. The event was attended by approximately
75 interested teachers, school board executives, and
interested members of the community.
A pandemic strain of influenza – or something
worse – will come sooner or later.
But now is not the time to talk of soldiers and
quarantines. Now is not the time for Chicken-Littlelike cries of the “pandemic is coming.”
Politicians, policy-makers and public-health officials
need to get a message out: Now is not the time to
talk of how we will react, but how we will prevent.
Congratulations to the Halton District School Board
and the Halton Catholic District School Board on
another successful event.
Now, more than ever, is the time to invest in
prevention, health promotion and public-health
infrastructure. The healthier we are as a population,
the better prepared we will be for whatever threats
come our way.
SAFER SUBSTITUTES
The above article by André Picard appeared in the
Globe and Mail on October 6, 2005.
The following is information from CAW Local
444’s Sue Drouillard who is an active and
committed environmentalist.
Crop Waste
There is an alternative to the medium density
fiberboard, particle board and plywood, considered
to be no. 1, 2 and 3 respectively in the highest
concentrations of formaldehyde.
ENVIRONMENT IN THE SCHOOLS
CAW Local 707
Formaldehyde is one of the most lethal volatile
organic compounds (VOC's) in the home. The
World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that
formaldehyde poses a greater threat than previously
thought, declaring it "carcinogenic to humans".
June 2004, International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a "known
human carcinogen" and the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) claims it to be a
"probable human carcinogen".
Lil Heil, Jamie Norton, Dave Anderson,
Stacey Smith
On October 5, Local 707 Environment Rep Jamie
Norton, Alternate Environment Rep Dave Anderson
and Earth Day Presenters Lil Heil and Stacey Smith
attended the second annual Environmental
Education, Inspiration and Information Event
sponsored by the Halton District School Board and
the Halton Catholic District School Board at the
Region of Halton Building. This event featured
information booths from numerous government,
community and private groups including the CAW
Local 707 Earthday group. Keynote speaker Chris
McKhool entertained the group with songs and
props designed to deliver environmental messages
Sue Drouillard
Sweden and Japan banned the use of formaldehyde
in cosmetics and Sweden banned formaldehyde in
16
from crop-waste. The high compression of the crop
fibers gives structural components extra loadbearing capacity, along with insulation value and fire
and water resistance.
hardwood flooring. Building materials can offgass
formaldehyde for 5 years or more.
But, here is the GOOD NEWS
I found an alternative at my local Home Depot in
Windsor, Ontario. It is made of wheat straw fiber
and a formaldehyde-free high performance resin.
The wheat straw often comprises 100 percent of the
base fiber in the new composite board mixes. They
are usually lighter in weight and yet hold screws and
fasteners better, resist water and is just as durable and in some cases outperforms its less green
counterparts.
What more could you ask for?
Agriboard Industries www.agriboard.com
structural integrated panels (SIPs)
Dow BioProducts/Woodstalk
www.dow.com/bioprod shelving, fiberboard, floor
underlayment
Eco-Products www.ecoproducts.com wheat sheet
fiberboard
Environ Biocomposites
www.phenixbiocomposites.com Dakota Burl
composite, wheat particlboard, Microstrand wheat
panels PrimeBoard www.primeboard.com
Industrial-grade wheat particleboard
Wheatboard is stiffer than particleboard, resists
breaking equally or better, and performs well in
terms of internal bonding and its ability to hold
screws and resist splitting.
Not all wheatboard is made with a formaldehydefree resin, so you must look at the label. The board I
found is made by Dow BioProducts' Woodstalk and
is stated to be formaldehyde-free. Dow BioProducts'
Woodstalk, Eco-Products' WheatSheet, Environ
Biofiber, and PrimeBoard products all are VOC and
formaldehyde-free, greatly improving indoor air
quality at the manufacturing plant and the worksite
as well as your home.
MONTHLY INSPECTIONS
Must be Done
Have you done your monthly inspection of your
workplace?
By law, nearly every jurisdiction in Canada requires
a monthly inspection of the entire workplace by the
health and safety committee (please note, this
includes Ontario). Nearly all CAW collective
agreements have the same requirement.
So before you replace your kitchen cabinets or make
other renovations look for and tell your professional
carpenter to use formaldehyde-free wheatboard
materials.
What is the cost? My 5/8" thick X 15-1/4" wide X
96" length maple finish, wheat shelving board cost
me $12.60. Not bad I thought especially when you
consider the traditional formaldehyde particleboard
would have been harming my health for the next 5
years or more.
One more thought. It takes an entire acre of clearcut forest - which needs thirty years or more to grow
back - to provide lumber to build an 1,800-squarefoot home, according to the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). By
contrast, HUD estimates it takes only eighteen acres
of wheat - a harvest easily replenished in a single
year - to build an 1,800-square-foot house from
straw based boards and panels - and the straw
supplies are enormous.
It is important that all CAW health and safety
representatives insist on their right to inspect the
workplace, take enough time to do a proper job, and
Materials such as OSB, MDF and SIP's commonly
used for flooring, doors, and framing can be made
17
take the time to ask the membership if they have any
health or safety concerns.
Mart Robinson-CAW Environment Rep. Windsor.
The discussions addressed issues concerning
GMCL Energy Strategies/Conservation
Activities, Waste Reduction/Recycling
Goals/Recycling Regulations/Autoplex Waste
Audits, ISO 14001 (2004) Environmental
Management Systems, Negotiated Agreements
and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Plant Tours showed the recycling stations,
process and other environmental activities.
Each Plant made presentations regarding their
local Joint Workplace Environment Committee
Activities, followed by an open discussion
round table.
What to look for? If you need a checklist, you can
take a look at our CAW Health, Safety and
Environment Committee Manual. You can find it on
our homepage at:
http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/health&safety/hs_envi
mnt_manual.asp
ANNUAL JOINT CAW/GM
ENVIRONMENT MEETING
GM Oshawa Autoplex
GM’s Oshawa Autoplex extended a warm
welcome to the CAW Environment
Representatives and Management
Environmental Representatives from each GM
location who attended the Annual Joint
CAW/GM Environment Meeting as per the
Collective Agreement, in the Car Assembly
Chassis Training Centre November 15-16th,
2005.
The meeting successfully laid the ground work
for CAW Environment Reps and GM’s
Environmental Officers to work together to
reduce our impact on our environment.
In solidarity,
Dave Renaud
CAW Environment Representative, Oshawa
Autoplex
CONFERENCE & EVENTS-2006
International RSI Awareness Day,
February 28
Earth Day, April 22
Top from left: Stan Nieradka-CAW Alternate
Environment Rep. Oshawa Autoplex, Perry
Argentino- CAW Environment Rep. St.
Catharine’s, Dave Renaud-CAW Environment
Rep. Oshawa Autoplex, Doug Steele-CAW
Environment Rep. Woodstock, and David MartinCAW Alternate Environment Rep. Windsor.
Day of Mourning, April 28
CAW Health and Safety Conference,
June 9-11, Port Elgin
Bottom from left: Paul Goggan-CAW National
Health, Safety & Environment GM Coordinator,
Nick DeCarlo-CAW National Representative, and
H:\Newsletter\2005\hse111205.doc\cw:jmcope343
18