Flintkote/Fiberboard Paper/Johns-Manville, 1173 Highway 120 at Adobe Siding, Florence, Colorado
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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
8 1173 Highway 120 at Adobe Siding, Florence, Colorado Gypsum board manufacturer 4,697.7 Yes-June 28, 2000 No According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 4,697.7 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to this site between September 1967 and October 1980. There were no other facilities or residences near this site. At the time of EPA's visit, this plant was shut down and most of the equipment had been removed. An official who worked for Georgia Pacific and who provided security for the plant said that several wallboard companies had operated at this facility over the years. Pabco (part of Fiberboard Paper Products) built the plant around 1956; it was then owned by Johns-Manville around 1968; followed by Flintkote for 2 to 3 years, Genstar, and finally Domtar. The Georgia Pacific official said he believed Domtar received its vermiculite from North Carolina. The plant was shut down in 1990 and Georgia Pacific bought the plant in 1996. The official had worked at the plant over the years when Johns-Manville owned it and when some of the other companies owned it as well. He said vermiculite was delivered in bags to the facility--mostly by truck or sometimes by rail-- and the bags were stored on pallets. The official pointed out that the truck unloading area had been paved over 5 years before the facility was shut down (approximately 1985). The vermiculite was used in certain types of wallboard to promote fire resistance. The bags of vermiculite were carried to a hopper, where an employee would cut the bags and pour the vermiculite into the hopper. The hopper discharged the vermiculite into the wallboard mixture. On the basis of this information, EPA concluded that the only significant asbestos exposure that could have occurred would have been to the employee cutting open the bags and pouring the vermiculite into the hopper. EPA also concluded that minimal asbestos exposure would have occurred during normal handling practices if the vermiculite was delivered in bags (as opposed to bulk delivery), stored in bags, only opened over the hopper, and poured directly into the wallboard mixture. Therefore, EPA determined no further action would be needed.

GAO-09-6R