A class action lawsuit has been filed by several former workers of the Holy Cross Centre in Calgary, alleging they were exposed to dangerous asbestos at the former hospital.

According to an article in the Calgary Herald, the lawsuit claims the facility’s owners were “callous and arrogant” when they allegedly failed to protect nurses, construction workers and other staff at the hospital from exposure to asbestos during renovations that took place at the hospital in 2002.

However, hospital officials say the claims are “baseless”, noting that they believe the lawsuit to be a personal attack against the hospital’s owners, particularly eye surgeon Dr. Peter Huang. Holy Cross was once a public hospital but was sold to the Huang family in 1997.

The former workers affirm, however, that their concerns are real. Shirley Martindale, who worked at a nursing home in Holy Cross Centre, said Wednesday she will join the lawsuit because she is worried about her long-term health after she was allegedly exposed to asbestos there.

“I’m always wondering what’s going to happen in the future,” said the 61-year-old registered nurse. “The disease process doesn’t start right away.”

Asbestos-related diseases usually take 20-50 years to develop, so those exposed to the material may not know for decades whether or not it has affected their health.

Stephen Carter, a spokesman for Holy Cross and the Huang family, said the issue of asbestos at Holy Cross has already been visited. In 2005, Enterprise Universal paid a $10,000 fine for failing to comply with a stop work order from Occupational Health and Safety during an asbestos investigation.

Carter adds that the 2005 case “did not show workers at Holy Cross were exposed to asbestos,” noting that the new allegations are unfounded.

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