Asbestos insulation blamed for cancer on reserves

Members of the Poplar River First Nation say the federal government is not taking care of people who get cancer from the insulation used in many homes on native reserves.

Two of Raven Thundersky's sisters have died of a rare form of asbestos-related cancer called mesothelioma. Her mother and another sister have also been diagnosed with the disease and are undergoing chemotherapy.

All of them lived for years in the same house with Thundersky on the Poplar River First Nation, on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

Thundersky says Health Canada has confirmed her home was built with asbestos-laced vermiculite insulation, also known as "Zonolite." She wants the federal government test the people who lived in homes made with the material and provide compensation to everyone who gets cancer as a result.

"I think it would've brought a lot of comfort knowing there was somebody there helping us try to get through this, rather than us being left to die and being left to deal with it on our own with absolutely no resources. That's been very, very hard on the family," she says.

"The fact that my sisters died, the fact that it fell on deaf ears and the fact that nobody did anything about it, that's my biggest motivator right now. The day I'm quiet about this is the day I'm six feet under."

Poplar River Chief Russell Lambert says cancer rates are high on the reserve, but the federal government has already rejected two proposals for an environmental review.

"They should do an inventory of what kind of material was used when they started constructing the houses back in the late 50s, early 60s, to see what kind of insulation was used," he says. "The First Nations would be in line for some sort of compensation package for those families suffering from this rare disease, or this rare cancer."

No health risk unless disturbed

Hugh Ryan, manager of housing for Indian and Norther Affairs, says he can't comment on those requests, but says the department is going through files dating from the 1960s to see if, when, and where vermiculate insulation containing asbestos may have been used. He hopes to have some answers within six weeks.

"We're going to do everything reasonable to ensure we know ourselves the extent of the problem in First Nation communities, making sure the health of residents is protected," he says.

Health Canada says it first heard of problems with Zonolite insulation one year ago. Officials say it came from an American mine that contained asbestos.

"Vermiculite ore from that mine did come into Canada, but all vermiculite-based products, in terms of insulation, are really only in about less than two per cent of Canadian homes," says Paul Glover, director general of the safe environments program.

Glover says the product hasn't been sold in Canada for 10 years. He says there's no health risk unless the insulation is disturbed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the United States issued guidelines on handling the substance last year. Health Canada is preparing to release guidelines explaining how Canadians can protect themselves from asbestos-laced vermiculite insulation.

Links related to this story:

U.S. EPA: Best Practices for Vermiculite Attic Insulation