Canada will join more than 50 other countries in banning asbestos, the federal government announced on Thursday.

The ban, to be implemented by 2018, as reported by The Globe and Mail's Tavia Grant, comes after decades of urging from health advocates, labour groups and those affected by asbestos-caused diseases, prominent among which are lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

In Canada, more than 2,000 people a year are diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers, the Occupational Cancer Research Centre says, and The Globe recently reported that asbestos is the top cause of workplace deaths in Canada, accounting for 5,614 accepted workplace fatality claims since 1996.

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Over the years, The Globe has reported on the asbestos industry in Canada, and the substance's deadly legacy. The images below by photojournalist Louie Palu are a haunting reminder of how asbestos has affected - and continues to affect - Canadians.

Asbestos mining tailings, known as residue, from the mining of chrysotile asbestos seen in the city of Thetford Mines in Quebec. Up to 300 million tons of this residue have been abandoned by mining operations throughout the region. Thetford Mines was founded in 1876 after the discovery of large asbestos deposits in the area. The city became a hub for one of the world’s largest asbestos-producing regions. Louie Palu