March 17th, 2006

A class action lawsuit has been filed in British Columbia alleging that Ottawa pushed the use of the asbestos based insulation Zonolite even though the dangers of the substance were known. The class action suit has been filed against the former makers and marketers of the insulation.

The suit also states that living in properties that contained this type of insulation caused health problems for residents, and that the houses were often rendered unsellable even in instances where the asbestos had been removed. Similar suits are being heard in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, as well as another being filed in Quebec. W.R. Grace has been named as one of the defendants in the suits, as have subsidiaries of the company.

The suit alleges that the defendants knew about the dangers of the material yet still allowed and pushed for it to be used. One official stated: "These are microscopic pin-like fibres that get into people's lungs and there's no way to remove them. They can cause cancer or they can cause other difficulties and those problems can be permanent.'' Another stated: "The government worked like an apostle of W.R. Grace and got quite taken with Zonolite when in fact they ought to have been protecting. For First Nations people and military, they didn't have any choice of what went into their homes. So the responsibility rests almost solely with the government because they made the decision."