Zonolite Company/W.R. Grace, 1705 Sulphur Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri
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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
7 1705 Sulphur Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri Former exfoliation facility 139,460 Yes-March 29, 2000 Yes According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 139,460 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to this site between January 1966 and September 1988. EPA drove by the initial address given for this site--5100 Manchester Avenue in St. Louis--but found an indoor pistol range located at that address. It was determined that this address was the former location of the main office of the Zonolite Insulation Company. After further research, EPA concluded the correct address for the former vermiculite processing facility was 1705 Sulphur Avenue in St. Louis. The Sulphur Avenue site was located in a mixed industrial and residential area of St. Louis with major railroad lines north and south of the property. The nearest residences were less than 1/4 mile from the site and a former school was nearby. The property was not fenced. In the early 1960s, Zonolite changed its name to the Sulphur Avenue Corporation. In 1970, the property was leased to W.R. Grace which was believed to have continued processing Libby vermiculite ore until late 1988. At the time of EPA's visit, a manufacturer and distributor of fiberglass insulation products had been at the site since 1996. A representative of the fiberglass insulation company said that his company had never used or produced vermiculite. While walking through the former vermiculite processing building, EPA was able to determine the location of the original furnace area where vermiculite was expanded. No visible vermiculite, mica, or related products were found in this area. Small traces of vermiculite were found in the soil debris along the railroad spur north of the processing building. On November 30, 2000, EPA collected two composite samples (multiple samples combined) from this railroad spur. Each sample contained less than 1-percent asbestos. One sample was analyzed using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and the other with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). EPA determined no further action was needed. In September 2002, representatives of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services visited this site and found unprocessed vermiculite and asbestos in a 20 by 20 foot area next to the former silo and railroad. These areas were overgrown with small trees, tall grass, and weeds and a representative of the fiberglass insulation company that was operating at the site said their employees never used those areas. ATSDR concluded that it was not likely that these areas would be disturbed, however, if the use of the site changes, ATSDR observed that additional sampling should be performed to determine if elevated levels of asbestos could present a threat. The ATSDR health consultation report for this site can be found at ATSDR.

GAO-09-6R