EPA Failed to Warn Homeowners of the Dangers of Vermiculite Insulation
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Thursday on a report due to be released at the end of this month by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which conducted an investigation into the EPA's examination and cleanup of hundreds of former vermiculite processing plants. For several decades, millions of pounds of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore was shipped from mines in Libby, Montana to processing plants throughout the U.S. and Canada, where the finished product was used to make many consumer and construction products, including home insulation. The ore and the finished products were sold by W.R. Grace & Co. under the brand name Zonolite. According to the article, government reports show heavy concentrations of residential Zonolite sales throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, California, and Canada. Although the exact number of U.S. homes that contain vermiculite insulation is unknown, it is estimated that up to 300,000 homes in Washington state alone could have been affected.
According to the GAO's report, in its examination of sites in over 250 communities that processed vermiculite ore from Libby, the EPA utilized outdated criteria and inconsistent survey methods causing it to underestimate or miss entirely the danger to people who lived and worked near those processing plants. This is extremely disconcerting in light of the number of documented deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases of people who lived and worked near the Grace vermiculite mines in Libby, Montana.
Equally disconcerting is what's not contained in the report--the magnitude of the EPA's failure and/or refusal to warn the millions of homeowners that they may be exposed to cancer-causing asbestos in their home insulation. According to the article, in 2002 the EPA stated its intention to issue a Public Health Emergency regarding the danger of asbestos-contaminated Zonolite home insulation. Such a declaration would have authorized monies to be used for further research, clean-up efforts, and public awareness and education campaigns. In 2003 the EPA promised a national consumer awareness campaign to provide homeowners with information about vermiculite insulation. Neither of those efforts ever materialized and millions of American homeowners, residents, families and workers continue to be exposed to asbestos-containing vermiculite insulation.
According to scientists, the slightest disruption of Zonolite insulation could release millions of asbestos fibers into the air. Public health officials interviewed for the article called the EPA's failure to inform the public of the danger of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite insulation "unconscionable."
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