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Workers at a plant that manufactured building insulation were unknowingly exposed to asbestos, and various agencies are now trying to determine if the exposure has damaged their health.
From 1950 until it closed in 1988, W.R. Grace Co. plant in St. Louis used vermiculite to manufacture insulation. Vermiculite, a naturally occurring mineral, expands into accordion-shaped pieces when heated. Expanded vermiculite is lightweight, fire-resistant, absorbent, and odorless, making it ideal for use as insulation.
The vermiculite used at the W.R. Grace plant was taken from a mine (also operated by W.R. Grace) in Libby, Montana. The mine, it was discovered later, contained a natural deposit of asbestos that contaminated the vermiculite.
Investigators are now attempting to determine if workers at the St. Louis plant and 27 other sites around the country were exposed to asbestos, says Jennifer Sarginson, spokeswoman for the Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause lung diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. The risk of illness is influenced by several factors, including duration of exposure, the type of asbestos fiber, and whether or not the worker smokes.
Gale Carlson heads the state health department unit assisting in the investigation. She claims that former workers in the St. Louis plant "have called in and said they had cancer or diabetes." Carlson said that 10 to 14 people were working at the plant when it closed, but he isn''t sure how many people worked there over the years that it was in operation. Although the building that formerly housed the insulation plant in St. Louis is still in use, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined that the building itself is safe.
W.R. Grace operated the Libby mine from 1963 to 1990, and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. The company faces numerous lawsuits.
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