More than a year after being forced from their dream home by a major gas spill nearby, a former Calgary family says they are living a nightmare that may last decades.

Melinda Hillier, her husband John, their two kids and her teenaged younger brother were all living inside a residence on Bow Crescent NW in April 2010 when they began to notice a strong odour.

It was soon revealed that thousands of litres of gas were leaking from an adjacent Gas Plus site, but Melinda said officials dodged questions about possible safety risks.

“Me and the boys had headaches and we were sleeping all the time,” she said. “It was very concerning.”

Eight months after the spill, Alberta Environment announced the Hillier’s residence and two others had been condemned amid safety fears over high levels of benzene and other hydrocarbon chemicals present in the homes.

The Hilliers eventually moved to the community Citadel but couldn’t get comfortable. They have since returned to their original home in Nova Scotia and now visit a clinic for physician-ordered testing every three months for possible lingering effects from the chemicals in their home.

“It stresses us out constantly,” she said. “We were told (by doctors) it can affect the boys’ reproductive organs and we won’t even know until they are in their 20s or 30s and decide to have children of their own.”

But area Ald. Dale Hodges remains skeptical of the risk posed to families on Bow Crescent.

“How can anyone predict the health impact 25 years out?” he said.

An Alberta Health Services official told Metro last year that health complications associated with benzene only come from long-term exposure, but couldn’t specifically state whether the Hilliers were at risk.

“It’s that unknown that keeps me up at night,” Melinda said.