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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050923/whistleblower_asbestos_050929/20050929?hub=TopStories
Alarms raised over asbestos in military homes
Kathy Tomlinson, CTV News
For five years, she's been living in military housing at CFB Kingston with her husband and two children -- unaware the homes are contaminated with deadly asbestos.
She doesn't want her name used, but she's alarmed her children may get ill because the Canadian military didn't tell them about the danger.
"I'm afraid my daughters are going to come down with a deadly illness -- 10, 15 years down the road," said the military wife, who fears her husband may face repercussions from his commanding officer if she's identified publicly.
"I have laid in my bed and cried that I've put my daughters in harm's way."
The asbestos is in loose, dusty insulation in the top floor. The family goes up into that attic area frequently, to store children's clothes and sports equipment, because they have no basement.
The insulation, called Zonolite, was made with vermiculite mined for decades in Libby, Montana. Authorities across North America have known since 1990 that Zonolite is contaminated with asbestos.
If inhaled, the type of asbestos in Zonolite can cause serious lung diseases, including some types of fatal cancers. The military wife wants others military families to know how dangerous it really is.
"I didn't know there was anything up there contaminating their clothes, their toys, their books," she said. "The hot air comes down from the ducts that are up there and blows out at us (through vents)."
"When I moved here years ago, I wouldn't have moved into one of these. I didn't know."
The military has known since 1996 that homes on at least one base -- CFB Shilo in Manitoba -- contained the potentially deadly insulation.
Military families were left living in base homes for another nine years, though, before the department in charge of DND housing decided to test across the country. Those tests results are now in.
"Why did it take so long to test?" CTV's Whistleblower asked Defence Minister Bill Graham.
"It took time because we had to know exactly where it was," he answered.
CTV's Whistleblower team has learned that out of approximately 15,000 homes on Canada's military bases:
* Almost 400 military homes across Canada tested positive for the deadly asbestos.
* 2,637 roofs were tested (some roofs cover several homes).
* The majority of contaminated attics are at bases in Cold Lake, Alta., Kingston, Ont., Shilo, Mba. and Montreal, Que.
"A home full of Zonolite is not fit for human habitation," said Manitoba NDP MP Pat Martin, who has been trying for years to get Ottawa to take the dangers of asbestos more seriously. He thinks the military will try to downplay the dangers now.
"They (DND) know they are sitting on a ticking time bomb in terms of public health of armed forces families and their own liability in terms of negligence," said Martin. "They're probably concerned they are going to get their asses sued off for allowing families to move into these houses."
The Canadian Forces Housing Agency has sent a letter to the affected households, advising them to avoid their attics. The letters are addressed to the enlisted member -- and many of them are serving in Afghanistan. Some of the letters may not even be opened until they get home.
"We're working on how we can deal with this situation in a scientific way," said Graham.
CTV asked the defence minister: "What about just moving them out?"
Graham replied: "Well then there would have to be housing for them to move to and we're looking at all possibilities but we obviously have to have a practical solution as well."
His department said the current plan is to try to contain and seal off the insulation, by covering it with extra sheets of plywood and closing off vents and ceiling fixtures.
DND believes containment will actually be safer than removal, because the insulation won't be disturbed. Experts agree the threat is minimal, if the Zonolite isn't touched or moved.
"I want it removed," said the military wife at CFB Kingston. "I believe it's in my heating ducts. And I believe every time the furnace gets turned on, more blows out."
She said other military families on her base have no idea how serious the danger is. "It's easier (for DND) if we don't have knowledge," she said. "Let them come in and patch it up and it's forgotten."
Cost is one main factor. DND's containment plan is expected to cost $1.6 million. In comparison, the department estimates full asbestos removal would cost between $11.7 million and $23.4 million. Moving the families, they say, would add another $23.4 million.
"Not only are they (DND) sitting on a ticking time bomb in terms of liability," said the NDP's Martin, "but they are in complete denial."they are in complete denial."
Alarms raised over asbestos in military homes
Kathy Tomlinson, CTV News
For five years, she's been living in military housing at CFB Kingston with her husband and two children -- unaware the homes are contaminated with deadly asbestos.
She doesn't want her name used, but she's alarmed her children may get ill because the Canadian military didn't tell them about the danger.
"I'm afraid my daughters are going to come down with a deadly illness -- 10, 15 years down the road," said the military wife, who fears her husband may face repercussions from his commanding officer if she's identified publicly.
"I have laid in my bed and cried that I've put my daughters in harm's way."
The asbestos is in loose, dusty insulation in the top floor. The family goes up into that attic area frequently, to store children's clothes and sports equipment, because they have no basement.
The insulation, called Zonolite, was made with vermiculite mined for decades in Libby, Montana. Authorities across North America have known since 1990 that Zonolite is contaminated with asbestos.
If inhaled, the type of asbestos in Zonolite can cause serious lung diseases, including some types of fatal cancers. The military wife wants others military families to know how dangerous it really is.
"I didn't know there was anything up there contaminating their clothes, their toys, their books," she said. "The hot air comes down from the ducts that are up there and blows out at us (through vents)."
"When I moved here years ago, I wouldn't have moved into one of these. I didn't know."
The military has known since 1996 that homes on at least one base -- CFB Shilo in Manitoba -- contained the potentially deadly insulation.
Military families were left living in base homes for another nine years, though, before the department in charge of DND housing decided to test across the country. Those tests results are now in.
"Why did it take so long to test?" CTV's Whistleblower asked Defence Minister Bill Graham.
"It took time because we had to know exactly where it was," he answered.
CTV's Whistleblower team has learned that out of approximately 15,000 homes on Canada's military bases:
* Almost 400 military homes across Canada tested positive for the deadly asbestos.
* 2,637 roofs were tested (some roofs cover several homes).
* The majority of contaminated attics are at bases in Cold Lake, Alta., Kingston, Ont., Shilo, Mba. and Montreal, Que.
"A home full of Zonolite is not fit for human habitation," said Manitoba NDP MP Pat Martin, who has been trying for years to get Ottawa to take the dangers of asbestos more seriously. He thinks the military will try to downplay the dangers now.
"They (DND) know they are sitting on a ticking time bomb in terms of public health of armed forces families and their own liability in terms of negligence," said Martin. "They're probably concerned they are going to get their asses sued off for allowing families to move into these houses."
The Canadian Forces Housing Agency has sent a letter to the affected households, advising them to avoid their attics. The letters are addressed to the enlisted member -- and many of them are serving in Afghanistan. Some of the letters may not even be opened until they get home.
"We're working on how we can deal with this situation in a scientific way," said Graham.
CTV asked the defence minister: "What about just moving them out?"
Graham replied: "Well then there would have to be housing for them to move to and we're looking at all possibilities but we obviously have to have a practical solution as well."
His department said the current plan is to try to contain and seal off the insulation, by covering it with extra sheets of plywood and closing off vents and ceiling fixtures.
DND believes containment will actually be safer than removal, because the insulation won't be disturbed. Experts agree the threat is minimal, if the Zonolite isn't touched or moved.
"I want it removed," said the military wife at CFB Kingston. "I believe it's in my heating ducts. And I believe every time the furnace gets turned on, more blows out."
She said other military families on her base have no idea how serious the danger is. "It's easier (for DND) if we don't have knowledge," she said. "Let them come in and patch it up and it's forgotten."
Cost is one main factor. DND's containment plan is expected to cost $1.6 million. In comparison, the department estimates full asbestos removal would cost between $11.7 million and $23.4 million. Moving the families, they say, would add another $23.4 million.
"Not only are they (DND) sitting on a ticking time bomb in terms of liability," said the NDP's Martin, "but they are in complete denial."they are in complete denial."
