Environmental Protection Agency Continues Testing at Former Zonolite Factory

The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is continuing to test for asbestos outside of the site of W.R. Grace’s former Zonolite factory in Spokane, Washington. For 22 years, the Vermiculite Northwest factory produced Zonolite, a form of attic insulation that contained asbestos. W.R. Grace closed Vermiculite Northwest in 1973.

Testing had begun back in June, and the EPA did find low levels of asbestos in the soil near the factory. This latest round of testing will determine if activities like shoveling or raking could force asbestos fibers in the soil to become airborne.

Airborne asbestos, if inhaled or ingested, may lead to health problems like mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Despite a latency period of up to 50 years, once symptoms of mesothelioma do emerge, a patient may perish within a few months.

“We’re simulating what people could do on their property,” said Greg Weigel, on-scene coordinator for EPA’s environmental clean-up program. “What we’ve learned from other sites, including Libby, Montana, is that even low levels of asbestos in soil could pose a risk if the asbestos is susceptible to becoming airborne.” Earlier this year, EPA declared a public health emergency in Libby, which was once home to an asbestos-tainted vermiculite mine operated by Grace. Thousands of people in Libby now suffer from asbestosis and mesothelioma.

The EPA is testing two yards and some county-owned property in Spokane. They say that the results of their tests will be known in about 6 weeks.