Officials in Asbestos, Que., say they are tired of their town being named after a cancer-causing mineral that is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people around the world.
Asbestos Mayor Hugues Grimard said today in a news release the name carries an unfortunate connotation and it’s preventing the town from developing foreign business ties.
READ MORE: Canada set to announce a new ban on asbestos
He says he wants residents of Asbestos, located about 170 kilometres east of Montreal, to help come up with a new name, which will be announced sometime in 2020.
The town was founded in the late 19th century around a massive open-air asbestos mine, which closed in 2011 and has become a tourist attraction.
Asbestos fibre was once known as “grey gold” was used in building materials all over the world until the discovery of its carcinogenic properties.
READ MORE: Asbestos exposure leading cause of work-related deaths in Saskatchewan
The World Health Organization says the inhalation of asbestos fibres causes lung cancer, mesothelioma and other diseases and has killed tens of thousands of people globally.
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