Michigan residents now being notified of asbestos exposure from Libby, MT mine

December 6, 2004

For decades, a vermiculite insulation called Zonolite was shipped from a Montana mine owned by the W.R. Grace Co. The vermiculite was contaminated with a particularly lethal type of asbestos, which can cause debilitating lung scarring resulting in mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lung lining.

The Montana mine was not closed until 1990, after hundreds and by some estimates, thousands of former workers and their families have been killed or made ill by the exposure to the vermiculite. The ore is now part of a massive federal cleanup and probe.

Now, people who lived near or worked in a Dearborn, Michigan factory that spit up asbestos dust for decades are being told they will get guidance, advice and resources, promised by federal and state officials at a public hearing. One of just 28 plants to be included in the first phase of a federal investigation into locations where large quantities of the asbestos containing vermiculite was shipped, the Michigan plant was open for more than four decades until its 1990 closure.

During its operation, more than 206,000 tons of vermiculite between 1966 and 1988 were shipped to the Michigan plant, with most of it being processed into the Zonolite insulation that was widely popular and very easy to use. A site assessment that was conducted by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) for federal agencies concluded last month that the plant was a danger to workers, in addition to other people that spent time there. State officials say they will continue to try to track down former workers and their families, in addition to neighborhood residents.

The plant may have also endangered nearby residents that inhaled the dust or brought the vermiculite home to use as garden fill or landscaping. The Environmental Protection Agency said it was planning on testing neighborhood soils next year to determine if a hazard exists.

Unfortunately, for the 700,000 Michigan homeowners that currently have the vermiculite insulation produced at the factory in their attics, MDCH representatives admitted there are no easy solutions, advising affected homeowners to leave the asbestos containing insulation in place and make sure it does not fall through light fixtures and other ceiling openings. Vermiculite insulation is normally loose fill and when disturbed, asbestos fibers can attach to clothes or float through the air in the home. When inhaled, asbestos fibers attach to the lungs and remain forever.

Contact us for more asbestos exposure and mesothelioma information.

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