Zonolite Company/W.R. Grace Wilder Plant, 112 North Street, Wilder, Kentucky
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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
4 112 North Street, Wilder, Kentucky Former exfoliation facility 222,110 Yes-July 10, 2000 Yes According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, this site received 222,110 tons of Libby ore between July 1953 and December 1988. This site was first owned and operated by the Zonolite Company beginning in 1953. Grace purchased this facility in 1960 and manufactured vermiculite products at this location from 1960 until the plant closed in December 1995. The main products manufactured were structural fireproofing, thermal insulation for masonry construction, lightweight concrete aggregate, and other products based on vermiculite. W.R. Grace disposed of waste materials from the plant's operation on the site and also used some of the waste material as fill on a tract of land adjoining the site. Three buildings were located on the site: a former exfoliation facility, a warehouse, and an office building. The site occupied about 5.4 acres in a light industrial area. The nearest residences were about 1/4 mile away. In January 2000, W.R. Grace notified the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (KYDEP) of asbestos contamination at the site and submitted plans to cap the affected areas. W.R. Grace investigated the site in May 2000 and conducted sampling that indicated the presence of asbestos in surface and subsurface soils in excess of 1 percent. One soil sample was reported to contain 18-percent asbestos. The samples were analyzed using polarized light microscopy (PLM). Grace conducted a follow-up sampling investigation in March 2001 which also indicated the presence of asbestos in the soil at levels above 1 percent, when analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). On April 2, 2001, Grace voluntarily filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and subsequently informed KYDEP that it was prohibited from performing any further activities at the site. In January 2002, the state referred the site to EPA to be considered for a removal action. At the time of EPA's site investigation, a gasoline pump repair and maintenance company operated at the location. EPA collected five soil samples on March 2002 and the samples ranged from less than 1 percent asbestos to up to 5 percent when analyzed using PLM. EPA determined that the site needed to be cleaned up. In April 2003, EPA initiated a removal action that included the removal and off-site disposal of up to 40,000 tons of asbestos-contaminated soil and the decontamination of two buildings. This removal action was completed in 2004. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) health consultation report for this site can be found at ATSDR.

GAO-09-6R