W. R. Grace & Co. - Libby, Montana

Grace in Libby
Facts About Vermiculite Mining in Libby, Montana
Zonolite® Attic Insulation Safety Facts
EPA: Evidence shows Libby safe for residents
Grace Completes Medical Expense Program for Libby Residents
Grace Announces Sweeping Health Care Program for Libby, Montana, Residents
Libby Asbestos Timeline

Grace in Libby

From 1963 to 1990, Grace operated a vermiculite mine and processing mill in Libby, Montana. Recent news reports suggest heightened health concerns in the community relating to the possible effects of exposure to asbestos, a natural component of vermiculite.

Grace's concern is that the people of Libby have many questions and few answers. It is important to provide answers and demonstrate our commitment to the people of Libby. To that end:

Grace has pledged full cooperation with government agencies in their efforts to determine if there is an ongoing risk to Libby residents from our former operations, which were closed 10 years ago. We have no evidence that there is, but we, like the people in Libby, want to know the facts.
Grace has urged federal and state authorities to move forward with the investigations in an open and expeditious manner.
Grace has maintained contact with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and continues to respond to the agency's requests for historical data on our operations in Libby.
Grace has provided funding for community health screenings and medical coverage to anyone in and around Libby who is diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness.

EPA has asserted that its initial test results show the presence of asbestos at two former Grace properties in Libby--the old vermiculite loading site at the mouth of Rainy Creek and an old warehouse building on the city's industrial park site. Notwithstanding the very low levels of asbestos detected, Grace has offered to remediate these locations.

In preliminary air-sampling tests of 32 homes by the EPA, very low levels of asbestos were detected in one residence. Other early sampling results announced by the EPA are encouraging, but we recognize more sampling remains to be done.

In January, Grace announced a sweeping three-part health care program to detect and provide medical insurance for anyone in Libby diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses.

Specifically, Grace has pledged to:

donate $250,000 a year for as long as necessary to St. John's Lutheran Hospital to provide independent health screening to anyone in Libby who wants it
assure that the hospital has the necessary infrastructure to conduct independent screenings
provide medical coverage to anyone in Libby who, after receiving an independent screening, is diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease

We take our responsibilities to the people of Libby and the situation there very seriously. This is a unique situation deserving a dedicated solution. People who have concerns about possible exposure to asbestos now will have an independent place to go and be tested. If anyone is diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, they will have insurance to cover the medical costs of treating it.

Grace presented its initial donation of $250,000 to St. John's Lutheran Hospital in February. This donation is only a first step, and there are no strings attached. St. John's has indicated it will use the check to help fund the planning and development of programs aimed at helping community members who have asbestosis and related diseases. Grace has promised further funding as needs become clearly identified. We stand by our commitment to do the right thing for the people of Libby. We will continue to be responsible to the people of Libby affected with asbestos-related diseases.

Grace has reopened an office in Libby to assist the state and the EPA in their ongoing investigation. We also want to be here so our former employees and anyone else with a question about our operations can talk directly to us. The Grace Libby office is located at 317 Mineral Avenue, telephone number 406-293-3964.

Facts About Vermiculite Mining in Libby, Montana

Grace operated a vermiculite mine and processing mill in Libby from 1963 until 1990, when the mine was closed. With respect to that property, we have taken these steps:

Beginning in 1982, we initiated an extensive land reclamation project in Libby.
After the mine was closed in 1990, Grace spent several million dollars to remove and control asbestos-containing dust in compliance with appropriate federal and state laws in force at that time.
In 1994 ownership of the site passed to a Montana-based timbering company that met Grace's requirement for continuity of responsible environmental stewardship. That company had a track record of following Montana's best management practices for timbering operations.

Vermiculite Mountain was discovered in Libby, Montana in 1913. Commercial mining operations began in 1923.

Grace employed up to 200 people annually at its Libby mine and mill.

At its peak, vermiculite production reached more than 200,000 tons annually.

Vermiculite was used in a variety of insulating applications after it was processed. The vermiculite mined near Libby contained a naturally occurring impurity, a form of asbestos known as tremolite, which was largely removed during processing (see below).

Zonolite® Attic Insulation Safety Facts

Recently there have been reports concerning the association of trace amounts of asbestos fibers with Zonolite® Attic Insulation. This product--discontinued by Grace in the early 1980s for economic reasons--was made with expanded vermiculite originating from the Libby, Montana deposit.

As part of the manufacturing process, Grace took steps to remove fibrous tremolite from the vermiculite used in Zonolite® Attic Insulation.

Tremolite was separated from the vermiculite ore at the mine.
The ore was further processed at the expanding plant to reduce any remaining tremolite to the maximum extent feasible.

In the1970s, the government began regulating the use of products containing intentionally added commercial asbestos such as fireproofing insulation. As a responsible manufacturer, Grace conducted its activities in compliance with these regulations.

In connection with the development of the National Emission Standard for Asbestos, issued in 1973, the association of fibrous tremolite asbestos with vermiculite in the Libby ore was extensively discussed with the EPA staff.

In the late 1970s, Grace conducted air-sampling tests of Zonolite® Attic Insulation. Designed to replicate the installation procedure in typical homes, air sampling was conducted prior to, during and after installation. The results:

Asbestos fibers in the attic space during installation were at a level well below what was then considered a permissible lifetime occupational exposure.
Air sampling indicated no asbestos fibers were detected in the attic within six hours after installation.

Based on these results, Grace concluded that no unreasonable risk of injury was posed to a homeowner installer.

Zonolite® Attic Insulation was primarily used in older homes to retrofit or add to existing insulation. It was seldom used in new home construction. We believe now, as we did during the time we sold the product, that there is no unreasonable risk of injury or illness associated with the presence of this insulation in homes. Homeowners who have Zonolite® Attic Insulation in their homes should leave it in place. Homeowners who have questions about the product can contact Grace at 617-876-1400 (in Massachusetts) or 800-354-5414 (elsewhere in the U.S.).