The Fifth Estate
Powder Keg
S5 • E1 Sep 18, 1979 60m
In 1979 fifth estate host Ian Parker reported on the controversial Canadian practice of exposing mine workers to aluminum dust filtered directly into their locker room. It was believed that the dust would coat their lungs and protect miners from the dangerous effects of silica dust. The process had been banned in England, Sweden and South Africa and many scientists claimed the process was ineffective and potentially toxic.