By Martin van den Hemel - Richmond Review

Published: January 16, 2009 5:00 PM


The simple act of hanging a picture frame on a wall, or crawling through the attic to install recessed lighting, isn’t normally considered hazardous work.

But in the case of hundreds of thousands of Canadian homes, the simplest of home renovations might expose residents to a potential killer lying dormant inside their walls and attics. An asbestos containing type of blown-in loose-fill insulation, sold under the brand name Zonolite, was installed in homes across the country from the 1920s through to 1984.

Last year, W.R. Grace, the giant American firm that manufactured and sold the insulation throughout North America, offered a settlement to Canadians whose homes now sit contaminated with the cancer-causing asbestos insulation.

The deadline for filing a claim on that settlement is Aug. 31, 2009 (for more information, see www.graceclaims.com).

John Holland, president of PHH ARC Environmental, a Richmond-based environmental consulting firm, said his firm has provided monitoring and inspection work for many homes and buildings contaminated with asbestos-laden Zonolite.

Richmond is also suspected of having housing and buildings insulated with this material.

While Zonolite is considered safe when it’s untouched, any disturbance can cause asbestos fibres to be released into the air.

So poking a hole in a wall, or shuffling through the attic, might be enough to cause the asbestos fibres to be released from the Zonolite.

Once inhaled, the asbestos fibres remain in the body where they accumulate over time, as there’s no way for the body to expel the fibres, Holland explained. Asbestos is considered a carcinogen, and can cause progressive scarring of the lungs known as asbestosis, as well as several types of cancer.

The metallic silver or bronze sheened insulation has a distinctive appearance, resembling tiny accordions when it expands.

While the good news is that there’s a settlement, the bad news is that it might amount to as little as $600 per home. As much as half of the $6.5 million settlement would go to law firms and administrators, with the remainder being doled out to those who sign up.

Making matters worse is that the cost of cleaning up the Zonolite ranges from $6,000 to $11,000, Holland said, depending on the size of the home.

So why not let the sleeping dog lie?

Holland said Zonolite is a hazard that’s now on the radar for home inspections, and its presence will make it difficult to sell a property.

As well, it poses health risks, with any disturbance of the wall or attic spaces running the risk of jettisoning the asbestos fibres into the air.

While Zonolite is estimated to be present in as many as 300,000 Canadian homes, it’s also commonly found in older buildings and schools.

Zonolite was poured into the voids of cinder blocks to provide insulation, according to Sean Douglas, senior projects manager at PHH Environmental. This cinder block type of construction is commonly found in older schools.

Zonolite insulation is made from the granular material vermiculite, with a Montana mine being the world’s primary producer until it was closed in 1990. This mine was found to be contaminated with asbestos.