Zonolite/W.R. Grace, 14300 Henn Street, Dearborn, Michigan
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EPA
Region		 Location of facility Type of facility Amount
of ore
received
(in tons)		 Did
EPA
visit
the
site?		 Were
samples
taken?		 Results of
evaluation
5 14300 Henn Street, Dearborn, Michigan Former exfoliation facility 206,055 Yes-February/March 2000 Yes According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 206,055 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to this site between January 1966 and November 1988. The original site consisted of a railroad spur, where vermiculite was off-loaded, two storage silos, exfoliation furnaces, and bagging/processing space. The site had a single 16,000 square-foot building, which was used to process vermiculite into attic insulation and lightweight concrete aggregate. Land in the area surrounding the site was used for recreational, residential, educational, commercial, and industrial activities. During EPA's preliminary investigation in February and March 2000, the site was owned and operated by Die, Mold, & Automation Components, Inc. (DMACI), which produced nitrogen gas springs and wear plates. According to the owner of DMACI, the Zonolite Company/W.R. Grace plant stopped operations at the location in 1990. According to the owner, he purchased the site in 1992 and a Phase I Environmental Audit was performed prior to the purchase of the site. EPA did not find any visual evidence of vermiculite anywhere on the property and concluded that no further action would be needed. In September 2002, staff from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Michigan Department of Community Health visited the site and observed vermiculite on the ground near the railroad spur where the vermiculite had been off-loaded from railroad cars. Also, these officials observed material consistent with stoner rock (waste material left over after vermiculite is exfoliated) behind the wooden slats of an interior wall in the main DMACI building. ATSDR asked EPA to collect air and soil samples at the site. Sampling results ranged from no asbestos detected to concentrations of up to 3 percent asbestos. The material in the wall cavity was found to contain asbestos at levels from 5 to 6.9 percent. The samples were analyzed using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). EPA decided a cleanup action was needed at the site. The cleanup action was completed in August 2005. ATSDR's health consultation report for this site can be found at ATSDR.

GAO-09-6R