Asbestos Did Not Go Away in 2018: What the Ban Actually Did (2026)

Canada banned asbestos in almost all products in 2018. That ban stopped new asbestos going into buildings. It did nothing to the asbestos already in them, and the buildings that contain it are now exactly the age at which they get renovated.

The consequences are not historical. Asbestos-related disease is the leading cause of work-related death in British Columbia, accounting for roughly a third of all occupational deaths, and in 2022 asbestos exposure was a contributing factor in 61 of 181 workplace deaths in the province.

The scale of it

Since 2000, asbestos has been responsible for more than half of all work-related occupational disease deaths in Canada and approximately a third of all work-related deaths.

Over the past decade WorkSafeBC accepted more than 500 claims for workers killed by occupational disease related to asbestos exposure, according to the provincial government. A BC Federation of Labour report estimates that more than 145,000 Canadian workers are exposed to asbestos at work each year, with over 2,000 diagnosed annually with asbestos cancers and other diseases.

The reason the numbers are still climbing rather than falling is latency. Asbestos-related disease develops over decades, so today's deaths reflect exposures from the 1970s and 1980s, and today's exposures will show up in the 2050s.

That is the uncomfortable arithmetic for anyone in the renovation trades right now. The work you do this year is not something you will get feedback on.

What the 2018 ban did and did not do

Asbestos was formally prohibited in almost all products in Canada in 2018, and it had already been phased out of commonly used building materials during the 1990s.

Both of those are about new material. Neither removes a single square metre of existing asbestos-containing material from the roughly forty years of Canadian building stock that used it.

It turns up in roofing materials, insulation, tiles, drywall joint compound, textured ceiling finishes, vinyl flooring and its backing, pipe and boiler lagging, cement board, and dozens of other places. Much of it is harmless while undisturbed and becomes dangerous the moment someone cuts, sands, drills or demolishes it.

That is why renovation and demolition trades carry the current exposure rather than manufacturing. A worker installing new material is not at risk from a product that no longer contains asbestos; a worker opening up a 1978 bathroom is.

The practical rule for pre-1990 buildings is to assume material may contain asbestos until testing says otherwise, rather than the reverse.

British Columbia now licenses this work

BC became the first jurisdiction in Canada to require licensing for asbestos abatement, effective 1 January 2024.

WorkSafeBC's requirements are twofold: asbestos abatement employers must hold a license to operate in the province, and anyone performing asbestos abatement work must be trained and certified, with the level of certification depending on the type of work.

Abatement is defined broadly. It covers removing, repairing, transporting and disposing of asbestos or materials that may contain asbestos. Crucially, asbestos survey services are also defined as abatement work, so a company doing only surveys needs the license too.

There is a duty on the other side of the transaction as well. Owners and prime contractors must ensure that a contractor holds a valid license before permitting them to carry out asbestos abatement work at a workplace. Licensed employers appear on a public registry on the WorkSafeBC site, so verifying this takes a minute.

Outside BC, the requirements differ and no other province currently operates an equivalent licensing regime, though every jurisdiction regulates asbestos work through its own classification and control requirements. Confirm what applies where you work.

What we cannot sell you, stated plainly

This is the most important paragraph on the page, because getting it wrong is fatal on a decades-long delay.

A disposable N95 is not adequate respiratory protection for asbestos work. Neither is a general-purpose dust mask, and neither is a half mask with the wrong filter. Asbestos abatement requires respiratory protection selected for that hazard as part of a program, and in many situations that means considerably more than a filtering facepiece.

We do not supply asbestos abatement equipment. Not the enclosures, not the negative air units, not the HEPA vacuums, not the decontamination facilities, and not the specialized respiratory protection those jobs require. Those come from abatement suppliers, and in BC the work itself now requires a licensed employer with certified workers.

What we do supply is general construction PPE for crews who are not doing abatement, and that distinction is the whole point. If asbestos is suspected, the answer is not better PPE from a workwear shop; it is stopping and getting the material tested.

Our guide to respirator fit testing under CSA Z94.4 covers why an unfitted respirator is not protection regardless of its rating, and our guide to PPE for painters and drywallers covers the adjacent case of silica in joint compound, where the same principle applies: the mask has to match the hazard, not the inconvenience.

The moment that matters is before the tool starts

Almost every uncontrolled asbestos exposure in renovation happens the same way. Somebody opens up a wall, ceiling or floor, sees unfamiliar material, decides it is probably fine, and keeps going.

Testing is the control. In a pre-1990 building, suspect material should be sampled and analyzed before it is disturbed, and in several jurisdictions a pre-work survey is required rather than optional.

The specific triggers worth training a crew to recognize: textured or stippled ceiling finishes, old vinyl tile and the black mastic under it, pipe and duct lagging, cement board and shingles, and old joint compound. Any of those in a building of the right age warrants a stop rather than a judgement call.

Once dust is airborne, the exposure has already happened, and the people exposed include everyone else in the building and anyone who handles the worker's clothing afterward.

That last point catches families. Take-home exposure on work clothing is a documented route, which is a reason work clothing from a suspect job should never go into a domestic laundry. Our comparison of coveralls and bib overalls covers changeable layers for general work, though abatement uses single-use protective clothing rather than reusable garments.

Who is actually exposed now

The exposed group has shifted away from the industries people associate with asbestos.

Renovation and demolition trades sit at the front: carpenters, drywallers, electricians running new circuits through old walls, plumbers opening up pipe runs, HVAC installers working on old duct and boiler lagging, flooring installers lifting old tile, and roofers on older buildings.

Maintenance workers in older institutional and commercial buildings carry ongoing low-level exposure, because they open up the same building repeatedly over years.

Homeowners doing their own renovation are outside the occupational system entirely and frequently unaware, which is one reason BC's public license registry matters: anyone hiring can check whether a contractor is licensed.

The general PPE those trades need for everything else is covered in our guides to safety glasses, work gloves and the complete PPE checklist for Canadian workers.

If you find it

Stop work in the area. Not at the end of the task, not after this sheet comes off.

Prevent access, avoid disturbing the material further, and do not attempt to clean up visible debris with a broom or a shop vacuum. Both spread fibres, and a standard vacuum will exhaust them into the air more efficiently than sweeping.

Report it to the employer or prime contractor, who has obligations regardless of whether anyone wants the delay. Then get the material tested and, if positive, engage a licensed abatement contractor.

Anyone who believes they were exposed should report it so it is on record, because the latency means there will be no symptom to point at for decades. Our guide to CSA Z1220 first aid kit requirements covers on-site provision generally, though this is a reporting matter rather than a first aid one.

Being asked to continue is a situation where the right to refuse exists. For the wider obligations see our guide to PPE requirements for Canadian construction sites, our guide to who pays for PPE in Canada and our guide to CSA certified versus CSA compliant, which makes the same point about verifying a claim that the license registry makes about verifying a contractor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Didn't Canada ban asbestos in 2018?

Yes, in almost all products, and it had already been phased out of common building materials in the 1990s. Neither removes existing asbestos from buildings. Roughly forty years of Canadian building stock still contains it, and those buildings are now at the age where renovation and demolition disturb it.

How dangerous is asbestos compared with other work hazards?

In British Columbia it is the leading cause of work-related death, accounting for about a third of occupational deaths. Since 2000 it has caused more than half of all work-related occupational disease deaths in Canada. In 2022 it contributed to 61 of 181 workplace deaths in BC.

What does BC's licensing requirement cover?

Since 1 January 2024, asbestos abatement employers must be licensed by WorkSafeBC and anyone performing abatement work must be trained and certified. Abatement covers removing, repairing, transporting and disposing of asbestos, and asbestos survey services are also defined as abatement work.

Do I need to check a contractor's license?

In BC, owners and prime contractors must ensure a contractor holds a valid license before permitting asbestos abatement work at a workplace. Licensed employers are listed on a public registry on the WorkSafeBC website, so anyone hiring, including homeowners, can verify it.

Is an N95 enough for asbestos work?

No. A disposable N95 is not adequate respiratory protection for asbestos, and neither is a general dust mask or a half mask with an unsuitable filter. Asbestos work requires respiratory protection selected for that hazard as part of a program, and in BC it requires certified workers under a licensed employer.

What should I do if I think I have found asbestos?

Stop work in the area immediately, prevent access, and do not sweep or vacuum debris, since both spread fibres. Report it to the employer or prime contractor, have the material tested, and engage a licensed abatement contractor if it is positive.

This guide is general workplace safety information and is not training or abatement advice. Asbestos work is regulated, and in British Columbia it requires a licensed employer and certified workers. Never disturb suspected asbestos-containing material. Requirements differ across Canadian provinces and territories; confirm yours with the occupational health and safety authority that governs your workplace. Anyone concerned about a past exposure should speak with a healthcare professional and report the exposure through their workplace.