Background information for the site

The former Western Mineral Products site at 3520 I Street in Omaha, Nebraska, operated from the 1940s until 1989. The facility processed vermiculite that came from an asbestos-contaminated mine in Libby, Montana.

The facility exfoliated (expanded, or "popped") vermiculite to manufacture attic insulation and lightweight concrete aggregate. The Omaha plant processed more than 165,000 tons of Libby vermiculite from 1967 to 1991; records are unavailable for the time period before 1967.

The Omaha vermiculite exfoliation facility was closed in 1989. Upon transfer to the current owner, the building was cleaned and tested to show that asbestos fibers were not detected. The former processing buildings are currently occupied by a gutter company and an archery club. The area surrounding the site is used mainly for commercial and industrial purposes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 collected environmental samples at this site in 2000. The levels of asbestos in soil were below 1%, which is EPA Region 7's action level for removal.