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LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

WR Grace Reaches $140 Million Settlement in Zonolite Insulation Class Action


This is a settlement for the Asbestos Mesothelioma lawsuit.

On December 1, a tentative $140 million settlement was reached that would settle the class action lawsuit against WR Grace & Co, over Zonolite Attic Insulation. The terms of the settlement would require that WR Grace pay out $140 million over the next 25 years.

For Canadian Citizens

On October 20, 2008, Bankruptcy Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald ordered that all persons and entities with Zonolite Attic Insulation claims relating to property in Canada ("CDN ZAI PD Claims") against Grace must file these claims on or before August 31, 2009 (the "Bar Date").

Canadian zonolite claims could include, among others, the cost of abatement or removal, the diminution of property value, economic loss, or other property-related claims caused by zonolite manufactured by Grace.

About Zonolite

Zonolite insulation was made from vermiculite asbestos, which was mined near Libby, Montana. Marketed as a "do it yourself" insulation in hardware stores for 60 years, Zonlite was installed in thousands of American homes. While W.R. Grace had prepared an asbestosis warning label for Zonolite in the 1970s, it was never released. W.R. Grace stopped selling Zonolite in 1984.

In 2008, W.R. Grace agreed to pay $250 million to clean up contamination in Libby, where asbestos exposure created an epidemic of lung disease among local residents.

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Published on Dec-1-08


READER COMMENTS

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There is vermiculite insulation in the attic of my house that was built in 1957. When my wife purchased the house 10 years ago, this was never disclosed by the previous owners or their real estate agent. My wife also had a home inspector inspect the house and he did not bring this to anyone's attention. After owning the house for a couple years and upgrading the boiler, it made sense to supplement the attic insulation to save more energy, so we paid a reputable insulation company to add blown-in insulation on top of the vermiculite. They came in and did the job without warning us of the dangers of the existing insulation and that it should not be disturbed. Fast forward another 8 years to present day, with two small children we are trying to sell the house and a home inspector comes in and tells us we have vermiculite insulation and it could have asbestos and that it should never be disturbed. By law, we now have to disclose this and pay tens of thousands of dollars to remediate, air test, and re insulate. Not only am I financially disturbed, but the health of my wife and children concern me deeply.

I have been in construction for 12 years now, and as a licensed electrician who has crawled in several attics of older houses over the years have never heard of any type of attic insulation being toxic. Many other tradesmen I know also have never heard of it. I am completely aware of many other types of asbestos and know the consequences of it being disturbed and inhaled. My concern is, why hasn't this vermiculite situation in millions of homes across the country been brought to the attention of contractors, electricians, plumbers, hvac technicians, and even home owners who store things in their attic? I have done some research and it seems like this situation has been kept more of a secret than anything.

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