Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said contractors for W. R. Grace would begin moving equipment to the former factory site in Hamilton, N.J., this week in anticipation of the removal of some 6,500 tons of asbestos tainted soil that still remains. In 2004, the EPA began cleanup, which for more than 40 years processed asbestos-laden vermiculite ore used in fireproofing, insulation, and garden products. About 9,000 tons of soil was removed at that time after testing by the EPA revealed asbestos in concentrations as high as 40 percent in some samples.
The EPA will supervise the remaining soil removal, which officials expect to take about three months.
Federal officials have said the ore, which was used in thousands of New Jersey homes and businesses, likely endangered former plant workers and their families.
Due to many asbestos-related lawsuits, W.R. Grace declared bankruptcy in 2001. (NJ.COM)
