Vermiculite insulation may be lethal, U.S. says

EPA will warn that the material must be handled as if it has cancer-causing asbestos

Indianapolis Star

A federal warning is set to go out to millions of home and business owners whose attics and walls may have insulation that could cause lethal exposure to asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce on Wednesday that vermiculite insulation should be handled as if it contains cancer-causing asbestos. The warning comes after two years of pressure from Congress, public interest groups and EPA employees.

The presence of the material is not cause for "needless anxiety," says Stephen Johnson, assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, in a press statement. But, he said, "It is important that people be informed so they can identify the product and properly manage it."

The recommendations for handling the material were hammered out by scientists and regulators from the EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a health research division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agencies warn that the "insulation can sift through cracks in the ceiling, around light fixtures or around ceiling fans." The cracks should be sealed, they recommend.

Vermiculite is a natural mineral that, when heated, expands into accordion-shaped, feather-weight pieces of material usually tan-gold in color.

The insulation that the agencies are most concerned about is called Zonolite. It came from vermiculite ore in a now-closed Montana mine last owned by W.R. Grace & Co. The exposure can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and a fast-killing cancer of the linings of the lungs, heart and other organs called mesothelomia. Disease symptoms can take years to surface after exposure.

A pamphlet will be issued to the public and will be available on the EPA Web site: www.epa.gov.

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