A Town Called Asbestos: Environmental Contamination, Health, and Resilience in a Resource Community

by Jessica Van Horssen

For decades, manufacturers from around the world relied on asbestos from the town of Asbestos, Quebec, to produce fire-retardant products. Then, over time, people learned about the mineral’s devastating effects on human health. Dependent on this deadly industry for their community’s survival, the residents of Asbestos developed a unique, place-based understanding of their local environment; the risks they faced living next to the giant opencast mine; and their place within the global resource trade. This book unearths the local-global tensions that defined Asbestos’s proud and painful history to reveal the challenges similar resource communities have faced – and continue to face today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this was an interesting documentary on the town and the industry. I'm from that area of Quebec and found it quite informative. Interesting to know the company knew the affects on health decades before they were forced to admit it - that I did not know. My father worked in the underground mine for about a year in the 1940s and I remember him having to back to their clinic for periodic checks. He didn't want to be bothered, but my mother made him! :-) Obviously, though, even if there had been an issue related to asbestosis, they wouldn't have told him. A friend of mine grew up there, and her parents still live there - I'm going to have to quiz her next time I see her!

[Prismo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the compelling read! Dr. Horssen really dives deep into the history of Asbestos, Quebec (now known as Val-des-Sources) and produces an incredibly clear historiography of the town. She deftly threads the nuances of the town's relationship with Johns-Manville Corporation, making sure to emphasize over and over again that while JM unequivocally exploited the people in Asbestos, the townsfolk had a strong degree of agency rather than simply being completely run-over by the large multinational corporation (in no small part due to how valuable the asbestos deposit which the town basically sat on was during the 20th century). Overall, I think it's a fascinating book on a fascinating story, and it's quite accessible for those not acquainted with the complexities of Quebeçois history, especially regarding resource extraction and labor.