EPA On-Site Coordinator Provides Key Testimony in Grace Asbestos Trial

Yesterday EPA official Paul Peronard ended three days of testimony in the W.R. Grace trial. In those three days, Grace’s well-paid attorneys could not shake Peronard from his contention that Grace had withheld vital information about asbestos contamination from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Grace, a global chemical and construction materials company, is accused of polluting the community of Libby, Montana, with asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Residents of Libby say that Grace’s mining operations caused asbestos to be scattered throughout the area. Doctors say asbestos contamination left more than 1,000 people ill and more than 200 dead. Deadly asbestos-related diseases include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

Peronard has been the EPA’s on-scene coordinator in Libby for nearly 10 years. He said that Grace had knowingly misled the EPA about the scope of asbestos contamination in Libby. Grace’s evasions prevented the EPA from developing a cleanup plan for the most contaminated areas.

Grace had even provided asbestos-tainted mine waste to local schools for use on running tracks, Peronard said, and then refused to provide corporate documents explaining the waste to the EPA. Grace’s defense attorneys did not deny the waste was contaminated, but argued that the EPA’s instructions said they were not required to provide the documents.

One of the company’s insulation products, Zonolite, contains high levels of asbestos and has been used in buildings throughout the United States. The W.R. Grace Company and five former officials are accused of conspiring to violate federal air-quality regulations and obstruct justice.

Barbara O’Brien
Submitted March 4, 2009

Sources:

CNN: Decades later, asbestos-ravaged town has its day in court
CounterPunch: Libby, Montana vs. W.R. Grace Corp
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: One witness in Grace trial scores while another bombs
Seattle Times: Defense in Grace trial questions EPA official

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 10:08 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.