For Immediate Release:
Sept. 13, 2006

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Public Health Agencies to Release Results of Health Evaluation
at former Zonolite/W.R. Grace plant

Workers at the former Zonolite/W.R. Grace vermiculite processing plant in St. Louis, which operated from the late 1940s to 1988, were exposed to asbestos from the processing and handling of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite and waste rock. But the number of asbestos-related deaths is not higher for the community than the nation. These are primary findings of a health evaluation, called a public health consultation, conducted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The consultation results will be discussed at a public availability session on September 20 in St. Louis.

The former processing plant, located at 1705 Sulphur Avenue, accepted vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana, for processing, called exfoliation. During exfoliation, pieces of vermiculite ore were heated in a furnace to expand or “pop”. The processed material was then used to manufacture products such as attic insulation or lightweight concrete aggregate. The plant is one of 28 similar sites nationwide being investigated for asbestos contamination and exposure.

After the St. Louis facility ceased operation, the processing equipment was removed and a decontamination wash-down was completed. The facility is located in a mix of industrial and well-established residential areas and is currently used for other commercial purposes.

Presently, workers at the facility and the community are not being exposed to asbestos from the site. The primary exposure pathways that existed while the plant was operating, such as plant emissions and contact with piles of vermiculite and waste rock, have been eliminated.

According to the health consultation, while the facility was operating, employees were exposed to asbestos from the processing and handling of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite and waste rock. Household contacts of workers could have potentially been exposed to asbestos from contamination brought home on the clothing and hair of the workers. Community members, the students and faculty of the Gratiot Grade School, and children who played at the facility on raw materials and waste rock could also have been exposed to unknown levels of asbestos. Very little information is available to assess community exposure or to quantify the magnitude, frequency, or duration of any exposure.

In the past, workers or the community may also have taken waste rock from the site to use as fill material, driveway surfacing, or as a soil additive. Exposed waste rock presents a potential way people may be exposed, but not enough information is available to determine whether waste rock was removed from the site and the amount of exposure that could occur.

ATSDR recommends that former workers, household members who lived with them, and other potentially exposed persons learn more about asbestos and see a doctor who has experience in asbestos-related lung disease.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral containing fibers, some so small they are invisible unless magnified. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can remain trapped in the lungs for a lifetime. In some cases, asbestos fibers remaining in the lungs for many years can cause illness and even death from lung disease. Children who breathed in asbestos are particularly vulnerable because asbestos-related health effects have a long latency period, and children who were exposed have more years to develop asbestos-related health problems.

However, exposure to asbestos fibers does not necessarily mean an individual will get sick. The concentration, duration, and frequency of exposure, along with personal risk factors such as smoking, history of lung disease, and genetic susceptibility all contribute to the health risk for an exposed individual. To determine if asbestos exposure had caused an increase in related deaths, DHSS conducted a review of available death certificate information from communities around the site and found that the number of asbestos-related disease deaths was not higher when compared to national data.

Through this health consultation, DHSS/ATSDR intends to provide information about the site and possible past exposures. DHSS/ATSDR will also offer health education to the exposed and potentially exposed populations.

The public will have an opportunity to learn more about the site evaluation results during an informal public meeting on Wednesday, September 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a brief presentation at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Forest Park/ Hampton Ave. Holiday Inn, 5915 Wilson Ave., near the junction of Hampton Ave. and I-44.

In addition, anyone having information about past facility operations, such as old photographs or information on the use of waste rock from the site, is urged to contact DHSS/ATSDR to assist in determining other potential exposure pathways.

The former Zonolite/W.R. Grace Health Consultation report is available for public review at two area locations and on the DHSS and ATSDR web sites. The report can be found at the St. Louis Public Library - Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, MO. 63109, (314) 352-2900; and at the St. Louis Public Library - Marketplace Branch, 6548 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, MO. 63139, (314) 647-0939. On the web, the report can be accessed at: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/EnvirConsult/. A wide variety of more extensive information about asbestos, related health issues, and the 27 other evaluated sites, can be accessed on the ATSDR web site at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/.