Can Vermiculite Cause Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer?
There is no proven link between chemical Vermiculite and any of the serious illnesses with which asbestos is associated. There is, however, one known site at which Vermiculite was contaminated. Vermiculite was mined by W. R. Grace and Co, at Libby, Montana, under the brand name “Zonolite”. It was brought to the attention of Government investigators after reports of unusually high levels of death and illness amongst former employees as well as their family members. It was found that the Zonolite contained high levels of tremolite, an asbestiform material. Incredibly, of the residents of Libby who took part in a screening study, about one in six had some level of pleural abnormality.
