A newly released report blames a build-up of potentially hazardous mould aboard Canada's frontline warships squarely on a lack of upkeep by the navy.
The engineering analysis — obtained by CBC News under access to information after an almost two-year battle — said shipboard heating and air conditioning structures (HVAC) and their associated controls were allowed to deteriorate over the years to the point where they became almost useless.
The systems have "significantly degraded," said a March 2015 engineering report prepared for the navy by an outside contractor. "Little maintenance has been performed and the state of equipment is old and unsupportable."
Thermostats and pneumatic devices, meant to control airflow and humidity, were "failing, outdated and unsupportable," said the engineering analysis by the firm Bronswerk.
The report is the first clear effort to assign blame for a hazard the navy has tried to control. It could even have legal ramifications.
EXCLUSIVEFormer sailor sues federal government over mould doctors say made him sick
EXCLUSIVEHealth trouble brought on by mould exposure ends sailor's career
A former sailor, retired lieutenant Alan Doucette, is suing the federal government over the "staggering mould growth" aboard navy destroyers in the early 2000s. He alleges exposure to the mould ruined his health and that the navy "failed to take appropriate action in order to ensure the health and wellness" of serving men and women.
Retired chief petty officer Patrick MacLaughlin said the failure to keep the ships' HVAC systems up-to-date should not be laid at the feet of individual sailors or those responsible for day-to-day maintenance.
The equipment, he said, should have been swapped out at least 15 years ago — particularly the thermostat controls, which regulate humidity and condensation buildup.
"We tried to get things done," said MacLaughlin, who has been a vocal critic of the navy's approach to the problem. The leadership "needed to go to NDHQ (National Defence Headquarters) and ask for the funding. They didn't."
Blame the navy
Commodore Simon Page, the navy's director general of maritime equipment, denied the navy is solely responsible for the problem.
"My personal assessment is that is this not a problem of our own making," said Page, adding warship interiors tend to be humid spaces.
He pushed back against the claim that "little maintenance" was performed, saying the navy does its "due diligence" and carries out the necessary work.
"It is possible sometimes that maintenance is deferred, but if it is deferred we have a measure to catch up," said Page.
The Bronswerk report was prepared after the contractor surveyed several Halifax-class frigates — which were, at the time, being modernized under a $4.3 billion, multi-year program.
CBC News was the first to reveal the navy's struggle with mould in pictures and video broadcast in the summer of 2016 — a situation a former fleet commander tried to downplay at the time by saying there was "absolutely no concern."
Rear-Admiral Craig Baines, who in 2016 was the commodore in charge of the East Coast fleet, acknowledged mould was a problem but insisted the navy was conducting regular air quality monitoring and there had been no reports of illness.
CBC News requested copies of engineering and health assessment reports under access to information legislation in August 2016.
The engineering analysis — obtained by CBC News under access to information after an almost two-year battle — said shipboard heating and air conditioning structures (HVAC) and their associated controls were allowed to deteriorate over the years to the point where they became almost useless.
The systems have "significantly degraded," said a March 2015 engineering report prepared for the navy by an outside contractor. "Little maintenance has been performed and the state of equipment is old and unsupportable."
Thermostats and pneumatic devices, meant to control airflow and humidity, were "failing, outdated and unsupportable," said the engineering analysis by the firm Bronswerk.
The report is the first clear effort to assign blame for a hazard the navy has tried to control. It could even have legal ramifications.
EXCLUSIVEFormer sailor sues federal government over mould doctors say made him sick
EXCLUSIVEHealth trouble brought on by mould exposure ends sailor's career
A former sailor, retired lieutenant Alan Doucette, is suing the federal government over the "staggering mould growth" aboard navy destroyers in the early 2000s. He alleges exposure to the mould ruined his health and that the navy "failed to take appropriate action in order to ensure the health and wellness" of serving men and women.
Retired chief petty officer Patrick MacLaughlin said the failure to keep the ships' HVAC systems up-to-date should not be laid at the feet of individual sailors or those responsible for day-to-day maintenance.
The equipment, he said, should have been swapped out at least 15 years ago — particularly the thermostat controls, which regulate humidity and condensation buildup.
"We tried to get things done," said MacLaughlin, who has been a vocal critic of the navy's approach to the problem. The leadership "needed to go to NDHQ (National Defence Headquarters) and ask for the funding. They didn't."
Blame the navy
Commodore Simon Page, the navy's director general of maritime equipment, denied the navy is solely responsible for the problem.
"My personal assessment is that is this not a problem of our own making," said Page, adding warship interiors tend to be humid spaces.
He pushed back against the claim that "little maintenance" was performed, saying the navy does its "due diligence" and carries out the necessary work.
"It is possible sometimes that maintenance is deferred, but if it is deferred we have a measure to catch up," said Page.
The Bronswerk report was prepared after the contractor surveyed several Halifax-class frigates — which were, at the time, being modernized under a $4.3 billion, multi-year program.
CBC News was the first to reveal the navy's struggle with mould in pictures and video broadcast in the summer of 2016 — a situation a former fleet commander tried to downplay at the time by saying there was "absolutely no concern."
Rear-Admiral Craig Baines, who in 2016 was the commodore in charge of the East Coast fleet, acknowledged mould was a problem but insisted the navy was conducting regular air quality monitoring and there had been no reports of illness.
CBC News requested copies of engineering and health assessment reports under access to information legislation in August 2016.
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