Sun Gro Horticulture, 4418 Emmitt Sanders Road, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
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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
6 4418 Emmitt Sanders Road, Pine Bluff, Arkansas Active exfoliation facility 386 Yes-July 25, 2000 No According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 386 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to Strong-Lite Products in Pine Bluff between September 1972 and July 1977. In addition, U.S. Geological Survey reports in 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1999 indicated that this facility was a vermiculite exfoliation plant. At the time of EPA's visit, the facility was operated by Sun Gro Horticulture and was an active exfoliation plant. The facility was near a port and on a railroad line but not close to any residential properties. The main products produced by Sun Gro were potting soil, expanded vermiculite ore, and expanded perlite ore. At the time of EPA's visit, the company was exfoliating vermiculite ore primarily obtained from South Africa. The company also received ore from South Carolina, but this ore was sold directly to a client and not expanded. A company official said, to his knowledge, the facility had never received Libby ore. The company had documentation indicating that the South African vermiculite ore did not contain the harmful asbestiform fibers that were present in Libby ore. The raw ore from South Africa was received by barge and brought to the facility by trucks. The trucks emptied the vermiculite into open bays in the storage warehouse. The company had three furnaces for expanding vermiculite. Expanded vermiculite was stored in silos before being added to the potting soil or bagged for sale. The expanded vermiculite was sold under the name of Strong-Lite to other industries for use in a variety of products. Waste rock was made available to employees for their use (for example, for use in gardening or landscaping). EPA noted that the plant was very dusty. Since EPA did not see any vermiculite waste piles at the site during its visit, it did not collect samples. On the basis of this information, EPA decided no further action was needed.

GAO-09-6R