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While industrial development contributes to the well being of society, it has also brought us numerous potentially hazardous products which we use daily and which are far more dangerous than chrysotile. In order to safely benefit from these products, we introduce standards and develop technologies and work methods which constitute what is called controlled use.

The controlled-use of chrysotile allows the continued use of chrysotile in high-density products, provided permissible exposure limits of 1.0 f/cc or below are respected (recommendations of WHO Group of Experts). At this exposure limit no health risks are detected.

The chrysotile industry created and is now implementing a responsible-use programme that is based on the controlled-use approach to regulating chrysotile. Representatives of the world's major chrysotile exporting mines signed an agreement whereby they committed to supply chrysotile fibre only to those companies that demonstrate compliance with national health and safety regulations.

Canadian chrysotile industry, as well as the governments of Canada and Québec and the national trade unions, supports the safe-use principle - which is a risk assessment / risk management approach - not only for chrysotile, but for all minerals and metals. Most substances hold the potential to be dangerous if misused. We are using our experience with chrysotile as a guide for dealing with those minerals and metals whose use needs to be controlled to ensure public and occupational health and safety.