Asbestos and Vermiculite

  • From the 1920s to 1990, a vermiculite ore produced by the Libby Mine in Montana, USA, may have contained amphibole asbestos. It was sold in Canada as attic insulation. This was sold under the brand name of "Zonolite," came in paper bags & the vast majority of it contained varying amounts asbestos. As asbestos is naturally occurring in vermeculite rock, the level of asbestos content from sample to sample can vary. The type of asbestos found in zonolite is actually a combination of 2 different types of asbestos, & is unique in its mineral composition by comparison to vermiculite mined in other parts of the world. For more information see https://www.asbestos.com/products/construction/zon...
  • Not all vermiculite insulation produced before 1990 contains asbestos fibres.