Asbestos in Canada — The 2018 Ban, Exposure Limits & the Law

Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring mineral fibres that were built into Canadian homes, workplaces and infrastructure for more than a century. Canada has prohibited most import, sale, use and manufacture of asbestos and asbestos-containing products since December 30, 2018, with a short list of exceptions 4. The prohibition does not remove what is already in place. Any building constructed or renovated before 1990 may still contain asbestos 1, and workplace asbestos exposure still leads, by CAREX Canada's estimate, to 1,900 lung cancers and 430 mesotheliomas in Canada every year, almost all of them from past exposures 3. This guide covers the law as it stands today: when and how asbestos was banned, the exposure limits in force in every jurisdiction, the workplace rules in all 10 provinces and 3 territories, and who must be trained before working near asbestos-containing materials.

When was asbestos banned in Canada?

Asbestos was banned in Canada on December 30, 2018, with a short list of exceptions. Canada has prohibited most import, sale, use and manufacture of asbestos and asbestos-containing products since December 30, 2018, when the Prohibition of Asbestos and Products Containing Asbestos Regulations (SOR/2018-196) came into force, subject to specified exclusions, non-applications and permit provisions. The prohibition does not apply to asbestos already installed in buildings before that date 4.

In short, importing, selling or using asbestos is no longer legal in Canada, with narrow exceptions, while asbestos installed before the prohibition took effect can legally stay in place 4. The practical consequence is the one most people get wrong: the prohibition closed off the general commercial trade in asbestos, but it left in place everything installed before 2018. That material is the reason asbestos rules, exposure limits and training requirements still apply on Canadian job sites today. Because SOR/2018-196 is a federal regulation, the December 30, 2018 date applies in every province and territory 4.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals made up of long, thin fibres. Six types are recognised in Canadian law (COHSR s. 10.1) 9, and they fall into two mineral groups: serpentine and amphibole 1.

What is serpentine asbestos?

Chrysotile is the only serpentine form, and it is the main type of asbestos used in manufacturing. Its fibres are curly and flexible, which made them useful in products that had to bend or be woven, such as brake linings and gaskets.

What is amphibole asbestos?

The five amphibole types are amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite. These fibres are straight and brittle, so they break more readily and become airborne more easily, which is why amphibole asbestos is treated as more hazardous than chrysotile. Amosite and crocidolite were used widely in construction materials such as insulation and cement products. Tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite were never used as extensively, but they still turn up in some products.

What was asbestos used for, and why?

Asbestos fibres are durable and resistant to heat, fire and chemicals. Those properties made asbestos popular in building materials, automotive parts and textiles. The same fibres, once they are released into the air and inhaled, are small enough to travel deep into the lungs and lodge there, and over time that can lead to asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma 2.

What are the health effects of asbestos exposure?

Asbestos harms health when fibres are released into the air and inhaled. The fibres lodge in lung tissue, and the diseases they cause usually appear years or decades after the exposure that caused them. CCOHS is explicit that the risk depends on two things together: the level of exposure, meaning how much, and its duration, meaning how long 2.

Federal law requires workplace airborne asbestos to be kept “as close to zero as possible” 9. The legal limit is a ceiling, not a safe level.

• Lung cancer. Asbestos exposure raises the risk of lung cancer, and CCOHS lists a person's tobacco-smoking history as one of the factors that determines how high that risk is 2.
• Mesothelioma. A rare and aggressive cancer of the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. It is caused mainly by asbestos exposure and can take decades to develop 2.
• Asbestosis. A chronic lung disease caused by scarring of lung tissue from asbestos fibres. Symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent coughing and chest pain, and the disease can be disabling or fatal.
• Other pleural effects. Asbestos exposure also causes pleural plaques, which are thickened areas of the lung lining, and pleural effusions, which are a build-up of fluid around the lungs.

What does asbestos look like, and how do you identify asbestos-containing materials?

You cannot identify asbestos by looking at it. Fibres are almost always bound into another material, such as cement, plaster, floor tile or pipe insulation, so a product that contains asbestos looks the same as one that does not.

In the federal jurisdiction, the pre-work duty comes from two sections read together. Section 10.26.2 of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/86-304) requires an asbestos exposure control plan before work involving asbestos-containing material is undertaken, and that plan must ensure a hazard investigation under section 10.4 has been carried out 9. Provincial and territorial rules impose their own pre-work duties, and several go further by requiring a written inventory of asbestos-containing materials in the building (see the table in Provincial and territorial asbestos rules below).

Where a material is suspected, have it sampled and analysed by a qualified professional. Laboratories confirm asbestos using polarized light microscopy (PLM) or transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Until a result comes back negative, the material is handled as though it contains asbestos.

Which federal laws apply to asbestos today?

Two separate federal regimes govern asbestos, and they do different jobs. Environmental law controls whether asbestos can enter the country or be sold at all. Labour law controls how workers are protected from the asbestos that is already here.

How does the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 ban asbestos?

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) is the parent statute 6, and the Prohibition of Asbestos and Products Containing Asbestos Regulations (SOR/2018-196) made under it carry the ban 4. What they prohibit, and the exclusions and permits that remain, are set out in the timeline above; the chlor-alkali diaphragm exclusion ends on January 1, 2030 4.

What do the Canada Labour Code, Part II and COHSR Part X require?

Part II of the Canada Labour Code sets the employer's general duty to protect employees in federally regulated workplaces, which include banking, telecommunications, interprovincial transport, ports and federal Crown corporations 7. It also requires a workplace health and safety committee or representative and a hazard prevention program.

The asbestos-specific requirements sit in Part X of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/86-304) 9:

• Section 10.19(1.1) requires the concentration of airborne asbestos fibres to which an employee is exposed to be kept as close to zero as possible, and never above the applicable limit.
• Sections 10.26.1 and following require an asbestos exposure management program, which covers identification of asbestos-containing materials in the workplace and a written exposure control plan before work involving that material is undertaken (s. 10.26.2).
• Section 10.26.9 requires clearance air sampling inside the enclosure after asbestos dust, waste and debris have been cleaned up, removed or encapsulated, and before a containment system is dismantled. It is a specific step at the end of contained work, not a general post-work duty.

How do the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations classify asbestos?

Asbestos is a Class 9 dangerous good when it is shipped, under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations. Two UN numbers apply 10:

• UN 2212 ASBESTOS, AMPHIBOLE (Packing Group II)
• UN 2590 ASBESTOS, CHRYSOTILE (Packing Group III)

The classification applies only where the fibres are not fixed in a binder or in a manufactured product, so bagged abatement waste is generally in scope while an intact, undisturbed asbestos-cement product generally is not. Where asbestos waste is regulated as a dangerous good, a person who handles, offers for transport or transports it must either hold a valid training certificate under Part 6 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, or carry out the activity in the presence and under the direct supervision of someone who holds one 11.

How does WHMIS apply to asbestos products?

Where an asbestos product supplied to a workplace is a hazardous product under the Hazardous Products Act and the Hazardous Products Regulations, it must carry a WHMIS label and be accompanied by a safety data sheet 12,13. WHMIS is a supplier hazard-communication system, and it has exclusions, including products that qualify as manufactured articles, so not every item containing asbestos arrives with an SDS. Designating substances for control is provincial law — in Ontario it comes from O. Reg. 490/09, covered in the table below.

What are the asbestos exposure limits in Canada?

The occupational exposure limit for asbestos is 0.1 fibres per cubic centimetre (f/cc) in the federal jurisdiction and in almost every province, and federal law additionally requires exposure to be kept as close to zero as possible 9. Yukon is the outlier, with form-specific limits up to 0.5 f/mL 34. Saskatchewan sets no numeric limit in its regulation and relies on process controls, while the Northwest Territories and Nunavut apply the 0.1 f/cc limit through the WSCC Code of Practice rather than enumerating it in the regulations themselves.

Two points matter more than the numbers. First, where a limit exists it is a legal maximum, not a threshold of safety, and the federal duty to keep exposure as close to zero as possible sits on top of it. Second, a jurisdiction that does not enumerate a limit in its own regulation is not a jurisdiction without one. Saskatchewan controls asbestos work by prescribing work methods, containment and notification, while the Northwest Territories and Nunavut apply the 0.1 f/cc limit through the WSCC Code of Practice.

What are the asbestos regulations by province and territory?

All 14 Canadian jurisdictions (the federal government, ten provinces and three territories) have occupational health and safety regulations covering asbestos.

Jurisdictions scale controls and training to the nature and risk of the asbestos work, but their classifications, terminology and formal training requirements differ, sometimes materially. What recurs across the country is the shape of the duty: find out whether asbestos is present before work starts, judge how much fibre the work is likely to release, control the work accordingly, and train the workers involved. How prescriptive each regime is, and whether the training has to be formally certified, is where they part company.

How is asbestos work classified?

The training a worker needs is decided by what the work does to the asbestos, not by the worker's job title. British Columbia sorts the work into low, moderate and high risk. Ontario sorts it into Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 operations. Other jurisdictions set their own tiers or simply describe the regulated activity. The tiers do not line up with one another, and neither do the training requirements attached to them, so the course that satisfies the rule in one province may not satisfy it in the next. What holds everywhere is the direction of travel: the more the work disturbs the material, the more control and the more training it attracts.

What counts as awareness-level work near asbestos?

Awareness training is for workers who may work near asbestos-containing materials without disturbing them: building maintenance and trades staff, facility operators, general contractors on older buildings, and anyone whose work could bring them into contact with material they did not expect. It is knowledge-based rather than hands-on, which is why it can be delivered online. Its purpose is recognition and avoidance: know where asbestos is likely to be, know not to cut, drill or sand it, and know who to report to.

What does the law require for asbestos abatement work?

Abatement is different work with a different rule. It covers workers who deliberately disturb, remove or dispose of asbestos-containing material, and in several jurisdictions it is a regulated qualification rather than a course:

• British Columbia requires a WorkSafeBC licence for employers who carry out abatement for others, and WorkSafeBC certification for abatement workers doing abatement work in relation to buildings. An independent operator who is not an employer is not required to be licensed, but still needs the certificate 19.
• Alberta requires a valid asbestos worker certificate before a worker enters an asbestos restricted area, and the certificate expires three years after issue 21.
• Ontario requires a ministry-approved Asbestos Abatement Worker or Supervisor training program for Type 3 operations 26.
• Prince Edward Island requires an asbestos abatement course for workers who handle, disturb or remove asbestos-containing material 31.
• Yukon requires asbestos control contractors to be certified by an accredited agency 34.
• Manitoba has made a WCB certification regime under M.R. 108/2025 that takes effect on June 1, 2027: from that date, worker certification and business registration are mandatory 25.

Because abatement training has to cover enclosure, negative-pressure equipment, respirator fit and decontamination, it is typically delivered in a classroom with practical components, and an online awareness course does not substitute for it.

Who must be trained before working near asbestos?

Training workers who may encounter asbestos is a legal requirement placed on the employer, not a worker's personal choice. Under section 125 of the Canada Labour Code 8, and under the equivalent duty in every provincial and territorial OHS act, the employer must ensure that workers receive the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to do their work safely. Where asbestos may be present, that duty means workers are trained before the work starts, not after something is disturbed.

Which training a given worker needs depends on the jurisdiction and on what the work does to the material, and those requirements differ from province to province. Awareness-level training is the normal starting point for workers who may come into contact with asbestos-containing materials without deliberately disturbing them. In practice that covers:

• Construction and renovation. Any work on a building constructed or renovated before 1990 can disturb asbestos in insulation, flooring, ceiling tiles, textured coatings, roofing or cement board.
• Building maintenance and facilities. Electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and custodial staff routinely open ceilings, walls and mechanical spaces where asbestos was used.
• Manufacturing and industrial plants. Older gaskets, pipe lagging, furnace linings, brake components and fireproofing remain in service in plants built before the ban.
• Mining and remediation. Asbestos was mined in Canada until 2011 5, so exposure in mining today comes from legacy sites, site remediation and naturally occurring asbestos encountered in other mineral deposits.
• Transportation and waste handling. Anyone who packages, moves or disposes of asbestos waste is covered. Where that waste is regulated as a dangerous good, the person must also hold a Part 6 training certificate or work under the direct supervision of someone who does.
• Healthcare, education and other older institutional buildings. Hospitals, schools and public buildings built before 1990 commonly contain asbestos, which is why Saskatchewan requires provincial, Crown corporation, health region and public-school buildings to be listed on its asbestos registry 23.

When does the law require asbestos retraining?

No Canadian statute puts a national expiry date on asbestos awareness certificates. Where formal certification exists, which today means abatement work in British Columbia and restricted-area work in Alberta, and from June 1, 2027 asbestos work in Manitoba, certificates run for up to three years. Everywhere else, retraining is driven by changed conditions and your employer's program review.

As for how often awareness training is repeated, three-year refreshers are common industry practice, set by employers' own training policies and their clients' contractor requirements. They match the three-year ceiling in the British Columbia 20, Alberta 21 and Manitoba 25 certification regimes, but they are practice, not a statutory expiry date, and they do not replace the employer's duty to retrain whenever the work or the conditions change.

What must workers near asbestos be taught?

An asbestos awareness course covers eight things:

• Health effects of asbestos exposure, including why the diseases appear decades after the exposure that caused them.
• Identification of asbestos-containing materials, including where asbestos was typically used and why visual identification is not reliable.
• Safe handling and work practices, meaning what not to disturb and which methods are prohibited.
• Decontamination procedures for people, equipment and clothing.
• Emergency response for an unplanned disturbance or release.
• Personal protective equipment and engineering controls, meaning the correct use of the required personal protective equipment and the operation of the required engineering controls 16.
• Health monitoring, meaning the purpose and significance of any medical monitoring the rules require 16.
• Compliance with the applicable regulations in the worker's own jurisdiction.

Key takeaways

The 2018 prohibition closed off the commercial trade in asbestos, but it applies to new asbestos rather than to the material already built into the country's buildings. That legacy asbestos is managed under occupational health and safety law in all 14 jurisdictions, through exposure limits, identification duties, risk classification and controlled work methods. If your work could bring you near asbestos-containing materials, the rules in your own jurisdiction decide what training you need before that work begins, and your employer is responsible for making sure you have it.