Government Says NJ Town not Cooperating with Asbestos Probe

June 22, 2006 - U.S. Representative Chris Smith (NJ) is concerned that a central New Jersey town that was once home to a W.R. Grace vermiculite processing plant is not cooperating with a federal investigation of asbestos contamination.

Smith, who hails from Hamilton – the town where the plant was located – says that township officials are failing to return the calls of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as they seek to gain information about the site.  According to an article in the Trenton (NJ) Times, local officials haven’t spoken with the GAO in more than a month.

"We don't want this [investigation] delayed another minute due to poor communication,” said Smith. “The GAO is very methodical in what they do but they have to have cooperation."

Smith was instrumental in requesting an investigation of the site after the Trenton Times revealed the existence of a 1985 Environmental Protection Agency report that outlined the hazards the Hamilton factory posed to the surrounding community, which consisted of about 90,000 people at the time of the report.

The vermiculite ore processing plant was located in Hamilton for 40 years until its closure in 1994.  The ore, which was shipped to New Jersey from a mine in Libby, Montana, was contaminated with tremolite asbestos.  Tremolite is one of the most lethal forms of asbestos and can cause mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive form of cancer that affects the chest cavity and lining of the lungs. 

When Grace closed the plant, they told the township that there was little or no asbestos remaining at the site.  Tests showed otherwise and the EPA ordered a clean-up of the site.  It was partially completed when a suspicious fire burned the remainder of the building to the ground.

Records show that during its tenure, the plant received more than 200,000 of vermiculite ore.  During the clean-up by the EPA, workers removed 9,000 pounds of soil thought to contain asbestos.  Another 6,000 pounds is scheduled to be disposed later this year.