US EPA Finds Asbestos in Some Zonolite Attic Insulation, but an Unexpected Result Raises Other Questions

摘要

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it found microscopic asbestos fibers in Zonolite Attic Insulation and in the air samples of several homes it tested last December in Libby, Montana. On March 21, EPA reported that test results from samples of the pour-in vermiculite insulation taken in 19 homes in Libby revealed that 3 appeared to contain l%-2% of tremolite and acti- nolite asbestos fibers, a violation of the Clean Air Act. The insulation in 8 more test houses appeared to contain less than 1% asbestos, which the Clean Air Act allows. In the remaining houses, no asbestos was detected in the insulation, which W.R. Grace & Company manufactured and sold nationwide for at least 21 years starting in 1963.