Vermiculite Industrial Corporation, 51887 E. Taggart Street, E. Palestine, Ohio
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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 51887 E. Taggart Street, E. Palestine, Ohio Active exfoliation facility 94.6 Yes-December 7, 2000 Yes According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 94.6 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to this site in June 1972. The facility was located in a sparsely populated, rural agricultural area. When EPA visited, company officials said this facility began operations as a side-business in 1972 and was not very active until about 1983. The company exfoliated vermiculite ore to be used in the automobile brake industry and, to a limited extent, the steel industry. The company purchased vermiculite ore from Palabora Mining Company, Ltd., located in South Africa. According to one of the company officials, to their knowledge, the facility had never received vermiculite ore from the Libby mine or had had any association with W.R. Grace. Raw vermiculite ore was stored inside the processing building. Company officials provided documentation indicating that the ore obtained from the Palabora Mining Company had been tested and contained no asbestos. EPA collected bulk samples of incoming ore, waste material from the exfoliation oven, and finished product. None of the samples had detectable levels of asbestos in them. These samples were analyzed using polarized light microscopy (PLM). Also, EPA found that the Institute of Occupational Medicine had tested samples from the Palabora Mining Company and did not find any detectable levels of asbestos. PLM was used to analyze those samples. On the basis of this information, the remote location of the facility, and the small quantity of ore exfoliated at this facility, EPA determined no further action was needed.

GAO-09-6R