The EPA is investigating more than two dozen insulation plants around the country that processed a dangerous form of ore called vermiculite. Five of the plants are in the Midwest. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tracy Samilton reports:
Transcript
The EPA is investigating over two dozen insulation plants around
the country that processed a dangerous form of ore called vermiculite.
Five of the plants are in the Midwest. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Tracy Samilton reports:
The processing plants converted an ore called vermiculite into insulation,
which was then shipped to millions of homes in cold areas of the country.
The vermiculite was laced with mineral fibers that can cause asbestosis and
lung cancer. The government is investigating if plant workers and people
who lived near the plants are at risk of becoming ill from exposure.
Early results from a plant in Illinois found that workers were at higher
risk, but not nearby residents.
Dr. Michael Harbut is an expert in occupational medicine. He says the investigation is long
overdue.
“This is a serious enough danger that the EPA is actually in the process of removing vermiculite
from some attics in some areas the country.”
Some of the processing plants have been shut down, but others have been
converted to other uses. The government plans to make sure those plants
are safe, and locate former workers to assess their health.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tracy Samilton.