Paul Douglas was exposed to asbestos while working as a boiler maker

Asbestos may be a silent killer, but this man affected by it was anything but silent.

Paul Douglas was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given three to six months to live. But he survived another 11 years and worked hard to raise awareness about his illness and exposure to asbestos. He wrote about his experiences in an online forum for others with his condition.

I read about Paul’s story at HiddenKiller.ca – a new website from WorkSafeBC and its partners. He’s one of the actual people behind the statistics associated with asbestos exposure – along with Dave Ford, an industrial electrician at a pulp mill, Anne Gerard, who was exposed to asbestos in tape she used at a denture clinic, and many others.

Anne Gerard

This website informs people re: what is asbestos, where is it found, what’s the danger, how should it be handled, and more. It even includes a knowledge-testing quiz. Mesothelioma, caused by asbestos exposure (that may have been decades ago), is BC’s number one occupational disease and leading cause of worker disease and death, according to WorkSafeBC.

Renovations seem to be happening all over the place, and since asbestos was used so much in building materials from the 50s to the 90s, everyone needs to pay attention. All workers have the right to know the situation in the buildings they work on and have access to suitable PPE. Workers and employers can learn more at the HiddenKiller website – and by checking out this WorkSafeBC video.