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Explosion Of Anger Follows Explosion Of Propane As Furious Residents Scream At Officials Over Asbestos
Related to country: Canada

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An attempt by city officials to calm the nerves of residents in the area around the weekend's massive propane blast backfired on Wednesday, after angry homeowners called them 'smug' and screamed at them over their assurances there weren't any health concerns due to asbestos.

The press conference was held near Ancaster Road, one of the recently reopened streets in the area, where men in white-suited hazmat gear spent the day behind signs that warned "DANGER ASBESTOS " in big letters.

That heightened an already tense atmosphere, as expert after expert stepped forward to admit that while the substance was detected in places like the nearby playground and community centre - where recently returned kids were playing 24 hours before - there was no imminent danger to those who lived there.

It was a conclusion that didn't sit well with residents who came to watch the experts present their evidence.

"Today we wake up and see that most of this area is taped off again and we see people in full white suits walking around just a few feet away from us," noted resident James Durling. "They need a white suit but we don't. What's going to happen long term here? If we stay here, are we going to get sick 10, 15, 20 years from (now)? No one's giving us those answers."

"I have a house with broken windows, I have every reason to believe that is full of asbestos, and I challenge any one of you to tell me otherwise," another screamed.

"And I have lungs every reason to believe full of asbestos, and given myself and my neighbors were running from the streets, and running from the goddamn lies, and I challenge any one of you to tell me I won't get cancer in the next 15 or 25 years and just a coincidence ... The nerve of you people to act so goddamn smug! You screwed up big time!"

Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe tried to reassure residents there was no danger. "If it were my child, I would not be worried," she proclaimed. "I would not be worried because we know that the level of exposure would be exceedingly low ... It's not of concern."

Shouts of 'but you don't live here!' followed, as experts again tried to calm the increasing fury.

"The monitoring done so far simply shows that there is no airborne asbestos now and, in fact, no airborne asbestos even when personal samples were performed on a worker actively cleaning up this residue or debris," Dr. Don Pinchen tried to outline.

But that assurance also fell on deaf ears.

At one point, a local ratepayer's group spokesman confronted Councillor Maria Augimeri, who represents the area, asking her why she called her own meeting instead of attending theirs, scheduled for Thursday night. (see bottom of page for meeting details)

Her response was startling, referencing the death of Bob Leek, a firefighter who perished during Sunday's efforts to deal with the crisis.

"If people have problems of a partisan nature they should not use a death of a firefighter or anything associated with the disaster to deal with it!" she screamed. "So shut up!"

The man shot back, "You're trying to split the community."

Augimeri had spent two days flying in from Italy and explained her outburst by saying she was jetlagged and exhausted. "I haven't slept for two and a half days, and I've been traveling to try to get back here, okay," she pleads.

See unedited video of the confrontation here.

The City has set up a special hotline for anyone worried about asbestos exposure. Call (416) 338-7600 if you have any questions. It will remain open until 9pm Wednesday and be back up again Thursday morning.

The sudden death of a popular business-owner has only added to the collective sense of grief and frustration.

Fifty-one-year-old Patricia Loconte, a well known proprietor of a store in the area and something of a neighbourhood fixture, died suddenly of a heart attack after returning to her previously evacuated home.

Her stunned family says she was perfectly healthy and strong but was traumatized by the explosions.

Meanwhile, the probe into the disaster is continuing, as the Fire Marshal picks through the rubble of the ruined propane facility on nearby Murray Road. Bryan Fischer tells CityNews's Pam Seatle it's already been a difficult investigation because there's so much widespread destruction.

Asked if there's a chance we may never know the actual cause, Fischer responds "absolutely, absolutely. But at this point it's too soon to say."

Part of the confrontation between Maria Augimeri and residents was sparked by the fact that she called a 'Public Information Meeting' that directly conflicts with the one the area Ratepayers Association has called on the same day and time.
RATEPAYER MEETING

Thursday 7pm at St. Norbet Church Hall - called by the Ancaster Ratepayers Association

August 15, 2008 | 8:50 AM Comments  0 comments

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