ASBESTOS IN THE NEWS
EPA defers environmental cleanup at W.R. Grace site in Ellwood City, PA

December 15, 2008 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has shut down operations for the season in its cleanup of asbestos at the former W.R. Grace vermiculite manufacturing site on Factory Avenue in Ellwood City, PA. The cleanup will restart in the spring as weather permits.

Crews had removed asbestos-contaminated soil from the hillside behind the Ellwood City Moose Hall and spread 2,600 tons of fresh soil a foot deep over the area. The EPA is looking for a safe way to dispose of the contaminated soil and vegetation that’s been removed from the site.

The W.R. Grace factory operated from 1954 to 1969, when it processed the mineral vermiculite for use in insulation. However, the Grace company’s vermiculite mine in Libby, Wyoming, was laced with asbestos, which forced this cleanup project and many others around the country.

Asbestos, the silent killer

Despite the serious health problems long associated with human exposure to asbestos, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States. The U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

Time to seek justice!

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time its attorneys have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.

If you have a mesothelioma injury, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we achieve a settlement or verdict.