Up to 20 garbage bags of asbestos littered a North Burnaby street for almost two days this week before the city cleaned it up, according to neighbours.
Yasmine Hall, a Blaine Drive resident, said her family saw the bags Saturday evening and the materials inside appeared to be ridden with the hazardous substance.
She called the city the following morning but said it took until noon Monday for removal crews to arrive.
"There's kids playing and pets in the area -- lots of people. I thought the news needs to know about this," Hall told CTV News.
However, the city engineering department refuted that claim and said there was not a call until early Monday.
"We did check our records over the weekend and did not log any calls pertaining to the dumping of asbestos," said Lambert Chu, Burnaby Engineering Department.
It still took three hours for the work crews to arrive after Monday's report and the RCMP soon followed to block traffic.
The bags were gathered and sent in for lab testing. The contractors employed to deal with the dangerous material said they are sure the bags contained old insulation that includes asbestos.
Police interviewed neighbours asking if someone saw any suspicious behaviour, but catching the culprit is unlikely.
The city reports four or five asbestos dumpings a year but almost all remain unsolved.
"It is definitely concerning," said Burnaby resident Farris Ataya. "You don't want to see your neighbourhood having something that's no good".
WorkSafe BC said a person or business can be fined up to $25,000 for dumping but that does not stop people trying to avoid a disposal fee.
Inhaling significant quantities of asbestos fibres may make breathing difficult by scarring the lungs, according to Health Canada. It has also been connected with lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the chest or abdominal cavity. For more information on health risks and prevention visit the Health Canada Consumer Safety report.
With a repot from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger.
