ExposureBlog

Just in from the New York Times, a jury acquits WR Grace executives in their town-poisoning case.  According the federal prosecutors, the executives in question knew that the vermiculite they were pulling from the earth under Libby, Montana was deadly, but did little or nothing to ensure that the townspeople were warned or otherwise protected.  Apparently the jury didn’t agree, and now the execs can go back to their Sun City retirement homes. 

But there’s more to the story. 

Much of the vermiculite that WR Grace mined in Libby was sent to companies and distributors around the U.S. and marketed as insulation for homes and businesses.  It was also sold as a fire retardant to contractors putting up buildings.  I’ve seen this stuff being used as filler for potted plants. 

While not all vermiculite is the same—the levels of asbestos vary—it is certainly something you don’t want in your home.  In the past, some people have come down with mesothelioma with no known prior exposures to asbestos.  Actor Steve McQueen died of mesothelioma and it was generally assumed he had been exposed to it wearing asbestos-lined suits while racing cars.  But what if it had come from an attic in a house he lived in?  Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at the epidemiology of mesothelioma cases around the country.