EPA to Remove 6,500 Tons of Asbestos in NJ

August 31, 2006 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency has announced that they will supervise the removal of approximately 6,500 tons of asbestos-contaminated soil at the former W.R. Grace and Company vermiculite processing plant in Hamilton, NJ, a suburb of the capital city of Trenton.  According to news reports, the soil will then be sent to a licensed disposal location in neighboring Pennsylvania.

"Thousands of tons of contaminated soil have already been removed and we have sampled the surrounding area to ensure that local residents were not being affected," said EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. "This phase of the cleanup will address a large area and continue to protect residents from any lingering contamination."

According to a report in the Trenton Times, the soil excavation will begin in early September and will take approximately three months to complete. 

The Hamilton plant operated for about 40 years, processing vermiculite ore from Grace’s mine in Libby, Montana.  The material was then sold for commercial use in items such as insulation, fireproofing, and various garden products like fertilizer.  Vermiculite from the Libby mine contained a particularly potent form of asbestos, known as tremolite.  Hundreds of Libby residents have been sickened from exposure to the asbestos, which is extremely “friable,” meaning that it breaks apart easily, making inhalation of fibers likely. 

The EPA already removed about 9,200 tons of soil from the site in 2004 and notes that they have conducted extensive sampling of residential properties surrounding the site and found no asbestos above acceptable levels.