Former W.R. Grace & Company Site West Chicago, Illinois

From 1974 to the early 1990's, the former W.R. Grace & Company facility at 603 Fenton Lane in West Chicago, Illinois, processed vermiculite mined in Libby, Montana. This vermiculite was contaminated with asbestos.

The facility exfoliated ("popped" or expanded) vermiculite, which could then be used to manufacture other products. The West Chicago plant processed over 273,000 tons of vermiculite.

W.R. Grace closed the facility in 1996 and sold the 6.4-acre site to Royal Corinthian in 1998. Royal Corinthian manufactures marble columns and rails inside the former processing building.

Land use immediately surrounding the site is primarily commercial and light industrial. Currently, the nearest residential area is approximately one-half mile east of the site. According to the U.S. Census, over 3,000 people were living within one mile of the site in 1990, which is around the time the plant stopped exfoliating Libby vermiculite. The ground around the building is paved, but much of the rest of site is undeveloped. Recent EPA sampling results indicated a trace amount of residual Libby asbestos in the soil. Samples collected by W.R. Grace in 1996 showed that Libby asbestos levels in the air inside the building were well below levels that would be a health concern. Some information about the air sample results is missing and should be obtained, if possible, to confirm this conclusion. No vermiculite or vermiculite waste stockpiles are present at the site.

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