Trucks Begin to Remove Soil from Grace Site

September 18, 2006 - Today, huge dump trucks and back hoes began arriving at the former W.R. Grace and Company Zonolite plant in Hamilton, NJ in hopes of clearing away more than 6,000 tons of soil contaminated with tremolite asbestos.

This is the second step taken to assure those who live near the plant that the ground is free of the dangerous material. In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency supervised the removal of about 9,000 tons of dirt - soon after it discovered that the dirt was indeed contaminated.  Officials were made aware of the problem after the W.R. Grace and Co. fiasco in Libby, Montana came to light.  In that small town, where vermiculite was mined for 40 years, hundreds have been sickened by asbestos-related diseases.  A few hundred have already died.

Mike Ferriola, site manager for the EPA, told the Trenton Times that the agency will monitor continuously for particles and asbestos in the air and will set up eight monitoring sites around the perimeter of the project. About 300 truckloads should be needed to remove all of the contaminated soil, Ferriola confirmed, which will amount to about 15 to 20 trucks per day. All of the businesses and residents in the area have been notified about the cleanup and most will see little evidence that it is going on, he added.

Ferriola also noted that the trucks will be covered and will be power washed before exiting the site to be sure that no dust circulates through neighborhoods as they make their way to the approved dumping site in Western Pennsylvania.

When W.R. Grace closed the plant in 1994, they assured the EPA that there was no asbestos on the grounds and the EPA ordered no further testing.  However, in 2000, the EPA decided to test the site and found concentrations of asbestos in the soil that were as high as 40%. 

The New Jersey state Attorney General has filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against W.R. Grace for allegedly lying to state regulators. The state has also been exploring criminal charges against the company, which is now bankrupt.