Grace Asbestos in the Attic

Vermiculite Claims Due Soon From Canadians, Later for Americans

Canadians must file a claim by August 31 if they want compensation for removing toxic W.R. Grace vermiculite from their homes. But they shouldn't expect much.

By Amy Linn, 8-24-09

It’s the stuff of fairy tales to discover unexpected treasures in the attic. In real life, unfortunately, people do find surprises in their attics—and the endings aren’t always happy ones. That’s particularly the case in Canada these days as thousands of residents come to terms with an insulation called Zonolite made by W.R. Grace & Co.

According to a Toronto Star feature story by reporter Jennifer Wells, Zonolite, containing a natural mineral called vermiculite, was poured into an estimated 242,000 homes in Canada. “Easy as pouring popcorn from a bag,” ads once said about the product, Wells writes.

But the vermiculite in Zonolite was mined from Libby, Montana, and was contaminated with asbestos, a potent carcinogen. (For information from the Environmental Protection Agency about vermiculite and what to do if you suspect it’s in your home, click here.)

This month, Canadians are facing an unsettling deadline about the toxic product: “Legal efforts in Canada to financially assist homeowners in the containment or removal of Zonolite from their attics have resulted in a frail settlement that is just a fraction of what U.S. homeowners are in line to receive,” Wells reports.

W.R. Grace’s vermiculite from Libby could be in as many as 10 million homes in the United States, according to estimates from Dr. Christopher Weis, a toxicologist for the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Indeed, after being besieged by more than 100,000 personal injury claims related to its asbestos products, Grace filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001.

Here’s how Wells describes the company’s bankruptcy settlement terms, which could be approved as early as next month:

-- Americans can receive 55 percent of $7,500 (on average it costs $7,000 and up to remove Zonolite from a residence). The money will come from a W.R. Grace trust set up to pay asbestos-related claims against the company over the next 20 years or so.

—Canadians will be able to negotiate settlements of about $300 to $600, but must file a claim by 5 p.m. Aug. 31.

To read all of Wells’ excellent story, click here.

To see daily blogs about the W.R. Grace criminal trial, in which the company and its executives were accused of conspiring to contaminate Libby with asbestos-tainted vermiculite, click here.

[End of article]

Comment By Mike Crill, 8-25-09

Boy, I just don't know what to say except: I would like to see a Govt commission solely about holding these Corporations accountable for what they knowingly did.Course with WR Grace being found not guilty of killing me, my family and a town,maybe just maybe Canada can and will tear these bas*#*ds up. The USA is chicken crap to go after these murders as we found out at the criminal trial of WR disGrace.No justice for anyone.WR disGrace is getting away with not only murder but why do the people have to pay for what they done?Most homes in the US, like 30 million are WR disGraces responsibility and allowing THEM to only pay 4 to 7 thousand dollars for insulation removal is a total ripoff of the people.Make WR disGrace pay what ever it costs to clean anything that is contaminated with their Tremolite asbestos from Libby.What about ALL the people who are sick and dying from this.You people in Canada need to stand up to these murderers because like me, we are all in the same boat,millions of us today as the latency becomes reality and we the people are paying the price...with our lives.WR disGrace needs to rot in Hell and since the US of A couldn't/wouldn't do it then hopefully Canada will.Please do for all our sakes.Look what WR disGrace has left behind.In the Bible there is a part on asbestos from a mountain that kills millions of people.Now don't that sound just like Libby Mt and WR disGrace(the devil)...Man do I hate these people who did this to us.In Libby Mt today,THIS continues and so do the lies that Libby is safe.I think Canada has one of the worse places in the town of "Asbestos"...I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone with all this madness we are facing today because of asbestos and WR disGrace.I call this a Holocaust.Because it is.Make WR disGrace pay for everything.Stay away from Libby Mt as Libby is not a safe place to anything that breathes.Canada NEEDS to do the same with the town of Asbestos...you think???? Ban asbestos NOW Canada.Stop selling it to kill more people.

Comment By tammy, 9-20-09

well good old wr grace and company is at again now they have a product outcalled emberglow i bought mine at the home depot in el cajon ca believe me i,m on the to epa in the morning mad as heck about this oh by the way the peiople at home depot told me i could put it my my flower pots to retain water well let me tell you i grew up in libby mt i know what this crap can do and i have a lot of friends in the cemerty there have a nice day

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