Here's why some Jasper residents are paying to test for contaminants in their homes

The Municipality of Jasper says that the air quality of the town is safe for residents, but some homeowners are worried that contaminants like heavy metals may have seeped into their homes during the wildfire.

Patricia Urie returned to her Jasper home on the first day residents could return, but didn't stay long. 

"We went in with masks on … I did take it off for a minute, and it smelled a bit smoky and [metallic]," said Urie. "My husband and I got headaches and we didn't stay there for very long." 

Concerned about the air quality inside her home, Urie paid for an indoor environmental test by Pure Air Solutions Services, after hearing that some residents of Fort McMurray used them after the 2016 wildfire. 

The company gathered samples by wiping surface areas in Urie's home. She said the results showed high levels of lead, chromium, zinc, and nickel. 

"It's surprising … the amount of lead that was found in our house is off the charts," said Urie. 

The company found 25,000 micrograms of lead per wipe — a normal wipe would show about 50 micrograms of lead. 

"The lead levels are indeed quite high … the levels were on the order of 10s of thousands of micrograms per wipe," said Arthur Chan, professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto. 

"These levels are in general … compared to lead that you would find in house dust in Canada, this level is indeed quite high." 

Chan said he isn't certain about how the company does its testing, but says it's plausible that the contaminants came as a result of the wildfire — and not always from an obvious source. 

'When a fire comes, it could carry a lot of what was on the ground or in the soil and bring it back up to the air and deposit it in different homes."

Fort McMurray safe after a year

Following the 2016 wildfire in Fort McMurray, Chan tested the interior of 120 homes for contaminants like heavy metals and asbestos. 

"We found that the levels were comparable to a city … that hasn't been affected by major wildfires before," said Chan. 

"We compare the levels in between the neighbourhoods and there were small, subtle difference … but the differences were not large enough to, for example, exceed guidelines." 

Chan says his study did find higher levels of chromium and arsenic in areas of Fort McMurray where large amounts of treated wood burned.

"Both chromium and arsenic could come from pressure-treated wood, the wood that is used in decks and sometimes in building materials," said Chan. 

"Burning buildings would certainly release a lot of arsenic and chromium into the environment."

He noted that testing 120 homes gave a better picture of the contaminants in the area, compared to looking at a single home. 

When it comes to testing the area, the Municipality of Jasper says they have been rigorously checking the air quality health index in the town, but Chan says there are limitations.

"The air clears relatively quickly, but the contaminants that could accumulate on surfaces, those would not be captured by the air quality health index," said Chan. 

"I think there is some merit in saying that the air that they're breathing is relatively benign and healthy. But there are also many other routes of exposure … if contaminants are accumulated on surfaces."

The municipality says the townsite is safe for returning residents. 

"Every indication from the health experts that we have been in touch with so far at the provincial level has indicated that Jasper is safe to occupy, that people's individual homes should be safe," said Bill Given, Jasper's chief administrative officer. 

'We want our community to be safe' 

Inspections like the one that Urie got from Pure Air Solutions Services, also give helpful tips for how residents should clean potential contaminants from their homes. 

It recommends using a HEPA vacuum cleaner when possible to clean up dust, and to use appropriate cleaners depending on the type of metals found in your home. 

It also notes some surfaces are harder to clean. In the case of Urie's home, it's the butcher block countertops, which should be sanded down to remove the top layer.

While these tests are popular among residents returning home after a wildfire, they often need to be paid for out of pocket. 

Urie sent the final report to her insurance company, with hopes they will compensate her for it. 

"It's not cheap and a lot of insurance companies aren't covering it, I don't know if ours is, I just paid for it because I wanted it done and I was able to do that, which I'm grateful for," said Urie. 

"I can't convince everybody to do these tests, and there is a big group of us that have done the testing … We want all our friends and family to be safe, we want our community to be safe." 

Chan says, whether or not residents know of what is in the dust in their homes, the easiest way to remove contaminants is to do a deep cleaning. 

"I don't think that not knowing what's on the surfaces should prevent you from cleaning," said Chan. 

"I would advise the residents in Jasper to do, as extensive as they can clearing of surfaces, cleaning up dust."