Homeowners at Risk After EPA Fails to Warn of Asbestos

By Alison Gonzalez

Published on October 12, 2007

According to a soon-to-be-released report from the Government Accountability Office, the Environmental Protection Agency failed to properly examine and clean hundreds of factories in Spokane, Portland, and other nearby communities that processed insulation containing asbestos-laden ore. The investigation details that the EPA used outdated criteria for examining the factories and estimating the dangers the materials presented to workers and nearby residents.

Public health specialists said the EPA also failed to warn millions of homeowners of the possible risks for asbestos exposure from the insulation.

It is impossible to know how many homes contain the hazardous product, which was sold under the brand Zolonite. Nearly 35 million homes across the nation may contain the product, 300,000 of them in Washington State alone.

Former assistant U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Lemen said it is outrageous how the EPA could have kept the information a secret after nearly eight years of investigation.

A class-action suit has been brought against W.R. Grace & Co., the manufacturers and sellers of the ore. Serious criminal charges were filed against several executives for hiding information about the dangers of their ore. Their trials are set to begin early next year.

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