WR Grace Facility & Asbestos: Background

The former Zonolite Company/ W.R. Grace facility located on Dunn Road in Brutus, New York, operated from 1963 until 1989. The facility was known as the “Weedsport facility” because of its close proximity to the Village of Weedsport. ATSDR and the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) are evaluating the plant because it processed vermiculite mined in Libby, Montana. The vermiculite from Libby contained asbestos. ATSDR has linked exposure to the asbestos in Libby vermiculite with adverse health effects.

The facility exfoliated (“popped” or expanded) vermiculite ore to manufacture insulation, building products, agricultural products, and fireproofing material (under the brand name Monokote). This process released asbestos fibers from the ore into the air, where they could be inhaled. It also produced unpopped, waste vermiculite often known as stoner rock. The facility processed an estimated 148,485 tons of vermiculite from Libby.

Courtesy of ATSDR