EPA Conducting Asbestos Testing at Former W.R. Grace Site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting tests near the site of W.R. Grace & Co.’s former insulation factory in Spokane, Washington. Asbestos fibers are linked to cancer, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. The EPA’s testing was sparked by the recent declaration of a public health emergency in Libby, Montana, which was once home to a vermiculite mine operated by W.R. Grace.
For 22 years, Vermiculite Northwest produced Zonolite, an asbestos-laced insulation. 30 soil samples have been taken a home near the site. Kandi Smith’s lawn was covered with holes after a team of men in hazmat suits took the samples.
"It was kind of embarrassing," said Smith. But she was still happy to have the EPA testing the soil. When she purchased her home three years ago, she had no idea that the vacant lot near her house was once occupied by Vermiculite Northwest. "If there’s asbestos, we’d rather know," Smith said.
In Libby, W.R. Grace’s activities are blamed for the asbestos-related diseases that have killed hundreds of people and sickened many more. The EPA conducted tests in Spokane in 2000 and in 2001, and both times only found trace amounts of asbestos. But improvements in asbestos testing technology have been made since then, and the EPA wants to re-test the area. Old methods could detect asbestos at rates of 1 percent in soil samples, but new methods can detect asbestos at only 0.25 percent.
"Asbestos is a threat when it becomes airborne and can be inhaled. Asbestos in the soil can become airborne even at very low levels," said Greg Weigel, the agency’s on-scene coordinator.
