A Takhini resident says airborne dust containing fibrous glass and quartz particles is wafting from nearby roadways and adversely affecting his and his wife’s respiratory health.

“We have runny noses and we’re coughing all the time,” longtime Yukoner Jim Fordyce told the Star Monday.

Fordyce said he and his wife first developed symptoms two years ago, around the same time they started to notice dirt collecting on their third-floor balcony.

They live near the intersection of Two Mile Road and the Alaska Highway.

“The windows are dusty,” Fordyce said. “You can smell the dust outside, so we keep the doors closed.” 

When he tried contacting city and territory officials, Fordyce said, neither were able to tell him the source of the problem.

Last April, he took matters into his own hands. He hired an independent contractor where his son was employed to test a sample of the dust on his balcony.

The resulting report, signed by Stan Fordyce, showed the dust contained cellulose particles, fibrous glass, quartz and some non-fibrous materials.

“Any number of these materials may cause ill effects on persons that may have breathing or health issues, as it is all over the deck of the occupants and migrates into the living space,” the report said.

“It may be assumed … that these airborne materials come from the hiway (sic) and street dust in the vicinity of this residence.” 

According to Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon’s chief medical officer of health, dust is one of the only pollution hazards in a territory generally lauded for its clean air.

“We live in a place where the air tends to be really dry, conditions that lend themselves to dust quite easily,” Hanley told the Star Thursday afternoon. “It can be more of a hazard when you’re closer to dust-creating conditions.”

The 2019 Yukon State of the Environment Interim Report listed “wind-blown dust from gravel roads, especially in spring,” as one of eight sources of air pollution potentially causing health problems. 

However, Hanley said that most people are unlikely to be bothered by wind-blown dust, even containing quartz and fibrous glass, unless they have pre- existing health concerns.

“Outside of an occupational setting, (quartz) in dust blowing up from the road or from a construction site, or a residential area that is close to a quarry, doesn’t generally reach high enough levels to pose any specific concern,” Hanley said.

Quartz, often referred to as silica, is almost always present in dust, he added. It’s associated with the lung disease silicosis, but only in cases of excessive inhalation, usually by people working in mining operations who are crushing or grinding rock.

For most people, airborne dust is harmless. However, that doesn’t mean some residents won’t be adversely affected.

“There sometimes are projects that are not an issue for the general population, but may be posing conditions of exposures that are problematic for people with underlying medical issues,” Hanley said.

“You want to try and limit those exposures, especially if you have a susceptibility.”

When a resident like Fordyce files a complaint, Hanley said, it’s important for government institutions to evaluate whether more considerations for dust control need to be made in that area.

Even if changes can’t be made, it’s important that every complaint of health be addressed. This can mean simply ensuring that the individual has access to medical care.

Hanley suggested an air purifier or HEPA filter as a potential solution that is relatively inexpensive, assuming one is able to secure their house with good indoor air. 

According to Sunny Patch, the territorial cabinet’s communications director, the Department of Environment has reached out to Fordyce so he can file a complaint.

“I personally feel they should examine that dirt, and make sure that it isn’t creating a problem,” Fordyce said. “It’s not healthy.”