Mold, asbestos contamination forces Iqaluit public health to move

The public health building in Iqaluit needs extensive repairs to clean up the mold and asbestos which has been found in the aging building. (PHOTO BY DAVID MURPHY)

The Iqaluit Public Health and the Family Practice clinic in building 155 will undergo extensive renovations after a damning environmental assessment by Ottawa clean air investigators, Indoor Air Quality, the Government of Nunavut said late June 19.

An assessment in May found mold in the Public Health building, a news release said.

Asbestos was also located in floor tiles, Lloyd Searcy, the executive director of Iqaluit health services, acknowledged in the news release. 


This means Health and Social Services is now looking for new places to temporarily run its clinic, which will be closed for a period of about four months.

“HSS is currently reviewing location options that will ensure the smoothest transition to temporary facilities,” said the news release. “It is expected that repairs will take about four months, and there will be minimal interruption to services.”

Some molds can cause asthma, respiratory infections, and large doses of certain molds can cause poisonous, toxic effects on the human body.

Prolonged exposure to asbestos is known to increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma (another, rare form of cancer) as well as non-malignant lung and pleural disorders.

“Asbestos is not an issue unless it is disturbed, however it makes sense to remove it as we address the mold issue,” Searcy said.