Manitoba woman calls for inquiry into Zonolite insulation

A Manitoba woman is calling for a public inquiry to probe the safety of Zonolite, an insulation that has been used in homes for decades in Canada and that can contain asbestos.

Raven Thundersky, who has been dubbed the province's Erin Brockovich, said she believes the insulation, used in her northern Manitoba home on the Poplar River reserve, might have triggered serious health problems in her family.

Five members of her family have died from cancer and she has asbestosis herself, she said, while the federal government has ignored her calls for help.

"How is it that they allowed five family members, five Canadians, to die alone, abandoned?" she said. "The Canadian government turned its back on us from the beginning."

Health Canada says there is no scientific evidence linking health risks to Zonolite which is estimated to be in about 300,000 homes across the country if it is left undisturbed and enclosed. Zonolite is thebrand name for insulation madefrom the mineral vermiculiteby U.S.-based W.R.Grace and Co.

But the federal agency notes thatvermiculite ore drawn fromW.R. Grace's Libby mine in Montana from the 1920s to the 1990sis at leastpartly tainted by asbestos. When inhaled, asbestos can lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

A spokesman with the federal agency declined to comment on the case when contacted by CBC News as it is currently before the courts.

In 2005, Thundersky filed a lawsuit against the federal government and W.R. Grace. But an Ontario court has ruled she can't sue the American company in Canada. In the United States, W.R. Grace is protected under bankruptcy laws.

Pat Martin,the NDP MP representing the riding of Winnipeg Centre, echoed Thundersky's calls for action. A former asbestos miner himself, Martin has long been fighting for a ban on products containing asbestos.

"The federal government has their head in the sand about Zonolite," he said. "They actively promoted the use of Zonolite, they even subsidized the use of Zonolite, all through the late '70s and '80s."

From 1977 to the mid-1980s, homeownerswho installed products including Zonolite in their home were eligible for grants under the federal government's Canadian Home Insulation Program.

Insulation made from vermiculite orefrom the Libby mine has not been sold in Canada for over a decade, according to Health Canada.