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Denis Lapointe says government hid potential asbestos exposure

Denis Lapointe discovered the Canada Revenue Agency's building, where he worked as an electrician, for years was full of asbestos. He suspects that's to blame for his health problems today and shares his story in our documentary, "875 Heron Road."
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Denis Lapointe worked for 16 years at the Canada Revenue Agency building in Ottawa and says he wasn't told about potential asbestos exposure. (Julie Ireton/CBC)
The Current20:15Denis Lapointe says government hid potential asbestos exposure
Denis Lapointe filed access to information requests to try to find out what he might have been exposed to in the workplace, which may have led to health problems. (Julie Ireton/CBC)

Denis Lapointe wants to know if the toxins in his former workplace made him sick.  It just so happens his former workplace is a Government of Canada building - in the heart of the Nation's Capital.

After years on the job, Denis Lapointe has only just discovered the building he worked in contains hazards - most notably Asbestos. No one ever warned him. He was forced to figure it out on his own.
 

"I was exposed. I wasn't properly protected and here I was walking through this place and using the air hoses and blowing it to other people."- Denis Lapointe

Now he wonders about hundreds of other employees who worked in that building and may have been inadvertently exposed to asbestos too. 

CBC reporter Julie Ireton spent months investigating this story. Her documentary, "875 Heron Road", originally aired in March. 

Since this documentary aired, CBC received a huge response to this documentary. We heard from many other public servants who were exposed to asbestos in federal government buildings and who are now sick with asbestos-related diseases. Some of those people also worked at 875 Heron Road. 

Denis Lapointe continues to ask questions about his own exposure. He's been told Labour Canada Health inspectors have ramped up their investigation of the building since the documentary aired. He continues to wait for answers. 

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