Canada's rate of mesothelioma corresponds with the country's long-held infatuation with asbestos, whose fibers cause all forms of the disease. The country's first asbestos mine opened in Quebec in 1879 — the first step towards a close relationship between the country and "Canada's Gold."

As the 19th century slid into the 20th century, an increasing number of asbestos mines opened, taking advantage of the large deposits of the mineral found in provinces that included Quebec, Newfoundland, British Columbia and the Yukon. Companies such as Johns-Manville arrived, taking advantage of the asbestos mines to manufacture a variety of asbestos-containing products that would be used in Canada and worldwide.

But while the asbestos industry boomed and mine owners and company executives made money, workers got sick, coughing up blood, suffering from breathing difficulties and dying. Canadian mortality rates among miners were studied as early as the 1920s, and evidence exists that asbestos company executives withheld negative reports from both their employees and the public.

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company formed the Department of Industrial Hygiene at McGill University, and it suspected asbestos was sickening workers and causing some sort of "dust disease" of the lungs. A study conducted by the organization in the 1930s discovered that, of 200 men who participated, 42 developed asbestosis. However, the findings were never published and lawyers for asbestos manufacturers in Canada and the U.S. suggested to company executives that asbestosis receive "minimum publicity."

By 1966, Canada produced 40 percent of the world's chrysotile asbestos. By the 1970s, doctors had declared the asbestos mining towns in Canada to be among the most dangerous in the world, with rates of mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases increasing.

It was hardly surprising: Canadian houses were constructed with asbestos-containing cement and other materials. At one point, the vast majority of homes in Canada contained any number of asbestos-laden products ranging from shingles and siding to insulation. These products contained not only chrysotile asbestos, but types of amphibole asbestos as well. Those involved in the construction industry were almost always exposed to the hazardous mineral, and, as a result, rates of asbestos-related diseases are now extremely high among construction workers. In addition, at least 4,000 household products used by Canadians during much of the 20th century contained asbestos in varying amounts.

Asbestos opponents and those weary of seeing Canada's mesothelioma rate rise celebrated in 2011 when the country's asbestos industry ground to a standstill. Canada's last two remaining active mines, the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Quebec, and the Lac d'amiante du Canada in the nearby town of Thetford Mines, Quebec, shut down because of financial, labor and development issues — the first time in 130 years that the Canadian asbestos production stalled.

One year later, in the face of broad criticism from public health officials, asbestos victims and cancer advocacy groups, the provincial government of Quebec threw a lifeline to Canada's beleaguered asbestos sector in the form of a $58 million guaranteed loan. The money was to cover more than two-thirds of the cost of renovating and reopening the Jeffrey Mine — the rest of the financing is private — and helping it to operate for another 20 years.

But before the government transferred money to the mine, the Quebec Liberal Party was defeated in a provincial election. The winning party, Parti Quibecois, cancelled the loan. Meanwhile, doctors and others quietly keep an eye out for the mine's 425 former employees and whether any of them develop mesothelioma.

Anyone involved in those industries is at risk for exposure to asbestos and to the diseases caused by asbestos fibers.

In many cases, loose asbestos fibers are shipped to developing countries from Canada in large reinforced paper bags, where they are handled by undertrained and inadequately protected workers.

A secondary group of workers are also considered at-risk. These are people who work in trades that are one step removed from the process of removing asbestos from mines and transporting it to second- and third-world countries who continue to use asbestos products in construction.

These high-risk trades are similar to those in other places around the world:

Carpenters
Construction workers
Insulation installers
Plumbers
Roofers
Shipbuilders
Textile workers

In recent years, Canada's domestic production and consumption of asbestos declined, so fewer mining and manufacturing workers were exposed. However, because of the renovation and demolition of the country's aging buildings, especially in Quebec and British Columbia from the 1950s through the 1980s, the mesothelioma rate has been rising among construction and maintenance workers.

In early 2008, it was revealed that Health Canada had quietly begun to study the dangers of chrysotile asbestos. The organization said it started the research to "help further Canada's knowledge of chrysotile asbestos fibres in relation to human health" and to update the World Health Organization's last published assessment on the subject from 1998.

The two scientists on the project were supporters of the chrysotile asbestos industry, and the organization refused to announce when the results of the study would be released. In a written statement, Health Canada said that they found chrysotile asbestos to be "safe when used under controlled conditions," and safe use of the material would be regulated by Canada both domestically and abroad.

Chrysotile isn’t the only form of asbestos in Canada that presents an exposure risk. Other forms of asbestos, known as amphibole asbestos, are found in various asbestos-containing products. Such products typically include construction materials, but could be found in household and commercial products as well. Types of amphibole asbestos include actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite and tremolite. Amphibole asbestos is considered more carcinogenic than chrysotile asbestos, meaning it may take less exposure to cause a related disease.

The large number of mesothelioma cases in Canada demands a medical system offering good treatment options for mesothelioma. Canada has a socialized medical insurance system, and it is generally believed that it is easier to get better care for rare diseases like mesothelioma in the United States than it is in Canada. In both countries, however, the treatment for the disease is the same.

Canadians generally explore one or a combination of three options for the treatment: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The choice of treatment options is based on factors such as the stage of the cancer, the size and location of the tumor, and the age of the patient. The goal of treatment can be "cytoreductive" to remove the cancerous tissue or "palliative" to ease the symptoms of the disease.

In Canada, mesothelioma is a compensable disease. This means patients can receive payment from provincial governments if documentation proves their asbestos exposure happened in the workplace. However, it is estimated that less than half of the affected workers actually apply for compensation. According to the Canadian Society for Asbestos Victims, some Canadians injured by asbestos do not seek compensation because they incorrectly believe that nobody knew of its dangers and thus nobody is at fault.

It has long been apparent that asbestos has resulted in the death of thousands of Canadians since use of the mineral began in the late 19th century. For almost as long, politicians have differed over the safety of the material and its mining and manufacturing. Many have long defended Canadas profitable chrysotile asbestos industry.