CA Zonolite/Diversified Insululation/W.R. Grace, 6851 Smith Avenue, Newark, California
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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
9 6851 Smith Avenue, Newark, California Former exfoliation facility 337,075 Yes-March 21, 2001 Yes According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 337,075 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to this site between January 1967 and February 1992. From 1966 until 1993, W.R. Grace operated at this site and processed vermiculite ore from the Libby mine, producing vermiculite-based products, including gypsum and peat moss. At the time of EPA's visit, the facility was owned by a building supply company that had bought the property in 1997. Vermiculite was no longer processed at the site. The facility was located on the southeast edge of San Francisco Bay, approximately 30 miles south of San Francisco, in an area of mixed commercial, industrial, and residential use. A railroad spur west of the site connected to a main Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) line. EPA toured the site and interviewed employees of the building supply company. EPA observed vermiculite in the soil along the rail spur and along the west wall of the production building. A sprayed-on fireproofing material suspected of containing asbestos was found in the attic and on the ceiling of the building used as a sales office. On February 21, 2001, EPA collected samples of soil, dust, and air at the site. Of the 13 soil samples that EPA collected (excluding one duplicate sample), 5 contained no detectable levels of Libby asbestos, 6 contained less than 1-percent Libby asbestos (2 of these 6 samples contained chrysotile asbestos only, a type of asbestos not found in Libby ore). The remaining 2 samples collected from along a rail spur contained 2- and 4-percent Libby asbestos, respectively. EPA also collected 3 vermiculite product samples that contained 2- to 3-percent Libby asbestos. A sample of the material from the attic above the sales office contained 15-percent chrysotile asbestos. The soil, product, and attic samples were analyzed using polarized light microscopy (PLM). Of the 3 dust samples collected, 2 contained greater than 10,000 Libby asbestos structures per cubic centimeter, which is the level at which a cleanup action may be needed. Of the 5 air samples collected; 3 did not contain detectable levels of asbestos and 2 had Libby asbestos in concentrations of 0.0019 and 0.0046 structures per cubic centimeter, respectively. The dust and air samples were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). EPA determined that a cleanup action was needed at this site. Responsible parties (the building supply company and UPRR) led removals at this site with EPA's oversight, completing removal of contamination at the site in April 2002, and the removal of contamination along the rail line in May 2003. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) health consultation report for this site can be found at ATSDR.

GAO-09-6R