Asbestos Danger: Do You Have Zonolite In Your Attic?
Investigative Report Tells You How To Find Out, What To Do
POSTED: 2:15 p.m. CST February 20, 2003
UPDATED: 10:25 a.m. CST May 21, 2003
CHICAGO -- 
Inside millions of attics across America is a substance that is out of sight and usually out of mind for homeowners -- a substance that, even though it was sold to protect the home, now poses a threat to those who live there.
May 20 Update: EPA To Act On Zonolite
"It's an ugly situation that starts in a place of beauty," Parker said. "From a mountain in Montana comes a mineral called vermiculite."
Starting in the 1960s, the W.R. Grace Company turned vermiculite from Libby, Montana, into insulation and sold it nationwide, under the brand name Zonolite. It was marketed as do-it-yourself, cheap and efficient, and the federal government estimates that it is in 15 million to 35 million homes.
But there was one other property of Zonolite that was never revealed to the homeowners who bought it, Parker said: a needle-sharp fiber called "tremolite."
NOTE: See sidebar on the right for information links. Links are highlighted in blue.
"In Minneapolis, the Jorgensen family lived the nightmare," Parker said. "Their family home was across the street from a plant that processed the tainted vermiculite.
(Pictured left: Vermiculite is smaller than a paper clip.)
"It would fall out of the sky and cover the ground," Izzi Jorgensen said. "It looked like snow in the morning, after a still night, and it was asbestos."
While the dust covered everything, the Jorgensens said, the waste product was offered to everyone to spread in driveways and gardens.
"We often grabbed our little plastic pail or shovel, climbed around and played in the rock," Tim Jorgensen said.
Parker said a 1978 photo that was once endearing is now chilling: It shows the young Jorgensen boys at the plant, playing in a rock pile which was later found to be full of asbestos.
"We didn't know," Izzi said.
Parker said the problem goes beyond Minnesota. Target 5 obtained records that show the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite was shipped to more than 300 locations nationwide, including 49 in Illinois and 17 in Indiana.
(Pictured, left: Close-up of Zonolite)
One of the top sites where the tainted vermiculite was shipped was West Chicago, Parker said. Target 5 learned that the former Grace plant recceived more than 273,000 tons. And that is why, Parker said, the federal government is now quietly analyzing the spot for contamination.
Zonolite went from the plant into area homes -- an estimated 800,000 homes in Illinois.
"How dangerous is Zonolite, which was originally sold as a family fun project?" Parker asked.
In August 2000, an assistant U.S. surgeon general characterized it as so dangerous that "even minimal handling by workers or residents poses a substantial health risk."
The Environmental Protection Agency warns that if Zonolite is inhaled, it "may cause diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma."
It is a deadly but invisible risk, Parker said.
Showing video of workers removing Zonolite from an attic, Parker noted that in normal light, the dust is barely visible. But when special lighting was used, the video clearly showed how pervasive it is when disturbed.
"It is a fact that Zonolite was sold nationwide to customers for decades," Parker said. "It is also a fact that Zonolite was contaminated with the most lethal form of asbestos. So why, then, haven't consumers who still have this product in their homes ever been warned?"
The EPA was going to make such a warning, an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported in December. But it has not happened, and there still has never been such an outreach to consumers, Parker reported.
After allegations arose that the EPA plan to issue a warning had been squelched, Sen. Patty Murray, of Washington, demanded answers.
"Who stopped it?" Murray asked. "Was it the industry that told the White House, 'Don't say this.' I don't know, but I know, as a consumer and someone who represents potentially thousands of homeowners who have Zonolite, I want the information out there."
But for now, Parker said, it's the insulation that is out there, and it poses an undisputed risk to anyone who comes in contact with its airborne fibers.
It is a risk that was unwittingly taken by the Jorgensens, Parker said. At the age of 44, Harris, a husband and father, died of asbestosis. His only known exposure was the plant across the street from his home.
"They killed my husband," Harris' widow told Parker. "They may kill my children. It's got to stop."
Parker said Zonolite is brownish in color, about the size of popcorn kernels, and flecked with a silvery or gold-colored metallic material. It was usually applied by pouring it into open spaces, usually after construction. It sits loose in joists and open spaces.
"Everyone we have talked to about this agrees: No homeowner should attempt to remove this material without the help of trained, licensed professionals," Parker said.
Hidden Exposure Follow-Up: Questions & Answers
Zonolite Information
Zonolite Attic Insulation was manufactured and sold from approximately 1925 to 1985. It is "loose fill" insulation composed of expanded vermiculite. Expanded vermiculite takes the form of light-weight expanded "accordion-like" nuggets about the size of a pencil eraser. Coloring varies from brown, to silver-gold, to pale gray. (Description comes from this nongovernmental Web site, under the section that answers the question: How do I know if I have Zonolite attic insulation?) EPA Web Site To find out more, start with the Environmental Protection Agency Web site, where there are pages on asbestos insulation and Questions and Answers. The site has .pdf files available for download, as well: Vermiculite Facts and Vermiculite Processing. Web Search To learn more: Go to a search engine, such as Google and enter the keyword Zonolite, which will bring up many sites telling you how to deal with Zonolite if you suspect you may have it in your home. |
May 20 Update: EPA To Act On Zonolite
"It's an ugly situation that starts in a place of beauty," Parker said. "From a mountain in Montana comes a mineral called vermiculite."
Starting in the 1960s, the W.R. Grace Company turned vermiculite from Libby, Montana, into insulation and sold it nationwide, under the brand name Zonolite. It was marketed as do-it-yourself, cheap and efficient, and the federal government estimates that it is in 15 million to 35 million homes.
But there was one other property of Zonolite that was never revealed to the homeowners who bought it, Parker said: a needle-sharp fiber called "tremolite."
NOTE: See sidebar on the right for information links. Links are highlighted in blue.
"In Minneapolis, the Jorgensen family lived the nightmare," Parker said. "Their family home was across the street from a plant that processed the tainted vermiculite.
(Pictured left: Vermiculite is smaller than a paper clip.)
"It would fall out of the sky and cover the ground," Izzi Jorgensen said. "It looked like snow in the morning, after a still night, and it was asbestos."
While the dust covered everything, the Jorgensens said, the waste product was offered to everyone to spread in driveways and gardens.
"We often grabbed our little plastic pail or shovel, climbed around and played in the rock," Tim Jorgensen said.
Parker said a 1978 photo that was once endearing is now chilling: It shows the young Jorgensen boys at the plant, playing in a rock pile which was later found to be full of asbestos.
"We didn't know," Izzi said.
Parker said the problem goes beyond Minnesota. Target 5 obtained records that show the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite was shipped to more than 300 locations nationwide, including 49 in Illinois and 17 in Indiana.
(Pictured, left: Close-up of Zonolite)
One of the top sites where the tainted vermiculite was shipped was West Chicago, Parker said. Target 5 learned that the former Grace plant recceived more than 273,000 tons. And that is why, Parker said, the federal government is now quietly analyzing the spot for contamination.
Zonolite went from the plant into area homes -- an estimated 800,000 homes in Illinois.
"How dangerous is Zonolite, which was originally sold as a family fun project?" Parker asked.
In August 2000, an assistant U.S. surgeon general characterized it as so dangerous that "even minimal handling by workers or residents poses a substantial health risk."
The Environmental Protection Agency warns that if Zonolite is inhaled, it "may cause diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma."
It is a deadly but invisible risk, Parker said.
Showing video of workers removing Zonolite from an attic, Parker noted that in normal light, the dust is barely visible. But when special lighting was used, the video clearly showed how pervasive it is when disturbed.
"It is a fact that Zonolite was sold nationwide to customers for decades," Parker said. "It is also a fact that Zonolite was contaminated with the most lethal form of asbestos. So why, then, haven't consumers who still have this product in their homes ever been warned?"
The EPA was going to make such a warning, an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported in December. But it has not happened, and there still has never been such an outreach to consumers, Parker reported.
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Hidden Exposure Follow-Up: Questions & Answers
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