Asbestos anxiety Mom frustrated with BC Housing response

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Asbestos anxiety

Mom frustrated with BC Housing response

Abbotsford Times - Abbotsford,BC,Canada*

Tricia , The Times

Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

http://www.canada.com/abbotsfordtimes/news/story.html?id=f2b81050-

7cb1-46ee-af30-c878c99c0484 & k=51182

Just over a year ago, they were living in a tent in a park. Now,

Christy Baldwin and her family - her husband and three girls, aged

one, six and nine - live in an Abbotsford apartment, with help from

BC Housing, where they've been since Feb. 1 last year.

But Baldwin wonders if they would be better off back in the tent.

" I want to go back [to living in a tent], " she said. " We were all

much healthier and happier there. "

When they first moved in, Baldwin said, they thought the place was

great.

Ten days later, she said, her nine-year-old was in the hospital for

19 days with an illness related to scarlet fever.

In the past year, the entire family has suffered all kinds of

illnesses, she said, from bouts of pneumonia - which none had

suffered from before the move - to gastro-intestinal and respiratory

problems.

The illnesses have sent all family members to the hospital at one

point or another, Baldwin said.

She wonders if they are related in any way to mould or asbestos,

since she discovered both were in the rental home after she washed

the walls and ceiling a few months ago.

" My hand went right through the ceiling, " she said.

Black mould from previous water damage likely caused the weakness in

the kitchen ceiling, and Baldwin and her husband noticed brown,

black and white " chunks " falling from the hole - right onto the

stove.

" I don't know if [the mould and/or asbestos is] what caused all the

illness, but before living here, we were all healthy and no one was

going to the hospital. "

Baldwin said she sent two letters to BC Housing about the mould

damage over a two-month period, but no one came to fix anything

until about two weeks ago.

That's when she was told there was also asbestos in the drywall -

commonly used in homes built in the 1970s or before.

" From what I understand, if there's no holes in the walls, you're

OK. But we had this open hole with stuff falling from it daily -

into our kitchen, " Baldwin said.

" [bC Housing] told me it was an emergency and had to be fixed. So

why did it take two weeks for them to come? "

When workers came to fix the hole, they put up " authorized personnel

only " and " asbestos removal in process " signs - then left a mess of

residue in the cupboards, on the stove, on the floor and in between

the stove and wall, Baldwin said.

She was concerned because she thought the residue likely contained

mould and asbestos, but said BC Housing didn't come again until this

week, after she contact the Times, WorkSafeBC and MLA van

Dongen's office, which then called BC Housing on her behalf.

Workers were at her place Wednesday and Thursday to clean up and

finish repairs, and BC Housing moved her and the family into a hotel

for the duration - something they didn't do for the initial work.

" They wouldn't have done any of this if I hadn't called WorkSafe or

the MLA, " Baldwin said Tuesday.

" I wonder why it took so long, why this mess was left behind, and

why didn't I know about the asbestos. What if someone accidentally

put a hole in the wall or something? We didn't know it was there. "

BC Housing Fraser Region regional director Darin Froese said the

hole in Baldwin's ceiling is " the type of repair we do all the time. "

" In most homes built before the 1970s, there's a small asbestos

compound in the drywall mud, " Froese said. " There's only super small

amounts, trace amounts . . . there's no more danger to anyone than

there is in private sector homes built at the same time. "

As for the time it took for BC Housing to fix the hole, Froese

said: " I don't have all the details, " but was told that " a small

amount of drywall dust " was left behind after the initial work.

I understand we went back and the problem was taken care of

quickly, " Froese said.

Froese said any hazardous substance like asbestos can be dangerous

if people are exposed to high amounts frequently, but " unless you're

knocking down walls or it's open, " he said it's not dangerous.

" Essentially, [baldwin] had an overly strong reaction, " Froese said.

" It's unfortunate she feels [nothing was done until she made calls].

The safety of all our tenants is always a priority. "

As for the asbestos, Froese said BC Housing knows which of its

residential properties have it, but the fact it is there is not

reported to tenants.

" We normally don't make that a part of our practices, " he said.

No matter what the danger level, Baldwin still feels she should have

been informed about the asbestos.

" We should have been told there is asbestos in this suite, " she said.

" The whole process has been very frustrating. "

BC Housing communications director Thom called the Times late

Thursday to report WorkSafe BC representatives said they were

satisfied with the work that was done Wednesday and Thursday.