Report from the OH&S Canada magazine (Winter 2023)
Ontario has apologized to mine workers in the province who were exposed to McIntyre Powder.
The apology was delivered in the legislature by Monte McNaughton, the Minister of Labour, Immigration and Skills development.
“It has been more than 40 years since McIntyre Powder has been used in Ontario mines, but for thousands of miners who were exposed to the powder, it might as well have been yesterday,” he said. “They were told by their employers that this powder would help protect them from lung disease and that they had to inhale to continue working in the mines.”
The substance, touted as a health and safety tool by the province to protect workers from Silicosis, was a harmful aluminum dust. Workers were put into sealed rooms, where the toxic powder was dispersed into the air. It has since been linked to neurological health effects, including Parkinson’s disease, according to the Occupational Cancer Research Centre and Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
About 25,000 miners were exposed to the powder from its introduction in 1943 until it was phased out in 1979.
McNaughton said survivors have had to deal with the lingering effects of the powder, including lung disease and Parkinson’s.
More than 30 affected people were in attendance for the apology, including six who breathed in the dust.
He addressed some of his remarks to Janice Hobbs-Martell, the daughter of Elliot Lake miner Jim Hobbs. She founded the McIntyre Powder Project and has been lobbying for an apology.
“I want to be there for my dad,” said Hobbs-Martell in an earlier interview with the Sudbury Star. “I want to be there for my mom, I want to be there for my family, and for the miners who were exposed; all my McIntyre Powder Project mine workers and the ones whose names I will never know. I think it’s very important that they hear this while there are still alive.”
My opinion
I have been a trainer for a large mine north of Lakefield for 17 years. I was deeply involved with the H&S Committee there as well. I have to say that this topic never came up.
I guess there is more research to do to give a more informed opinion.
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs including ‘Due Diligence’.
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Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
CEO & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.