Hazardous Materials:

EPA's Assessment of Sites That May Have Received Asbestos-Contaminated Ore from Libby, Montana (GAO-09-7SP, March 2009), an E-supplement to GAO-09-6R

GAO-09-7SP, Mar 10, 2009

Contact:

John B. Stephenson
(202) 512-6225
contact@gao.gov

 

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

Vermiculite, a fibrous mineral with many commercial and industrial uses, was mined in Libby, Montana, from 1923 through the early 1990s, when the mine was closed. While the mine was operating, ore was shipped to hundreds of processing and receiving sites throughout the United States. The vermiculite ore from the Libby mine was contaminated with asbestos. In 2000, EPA began cleaning up asbestos contamination in the Libby area under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). In the same year, under CERCLA, EPA also began identifying and evaluating the sites that were thought to have received the ore to determine if any of these sites needed to be cleaned up. As of January 2009, with assistance from other federal and state agencies, EPA has assessed 266 sites that were thought to have received asbestos-contaminated ore from the Libby mine. This document presents detailed information about each of these sites, including the site's location, amount of ore received, and type of facility, as well as whether EPA visited the site, conducted sampling, and completed further action, if needed.