No, it's not a new element in the periodic table or something out of Superman comics. It's a deadly form of insulation that was used in this country in the 1950s and '60s. According to this news report, it's still hurting people, and the EPA apparently can't be bothered to do something about it. No surprise that the purveyor involved is the W. R. Grace Company, whose motto -- trademarked, no less -- is "Enriching Lives Everywhere." You might remember Grace's name from the book A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr, an account of water contamination in Woburn, Massachusetts, and Grace's attempts to cover it up and evade responsibility. Here's an excerpt from the Zonolite article:
What puzzles so many familiar with the issue is that EPA is refusing to do something without having to pass new laws or spend millions getting the word out. No one expects the government to pick up the costly tab for cleanup, but rather just tell people that their lives may be in danger.
Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the National Resources Defense Council, constantly deals with the EPA on public health issues and admits that she's puzzled at the agency shirking its duty to protect the public from environmental harm.
"There is a nationwide rising sentiment that we don't need government in our lives, but this story proves otherwise. What we need is strong federal regulations to rein in corporate malefactors and to warn the public about harms now, before it's too late to protect our loved ones. Anything less is a deadly game of passing the buck," Sass said.
And here's a related story from the NYT on the EPA's backing down from implementing tougher emissions standards.
