Asbestos in South Carolina

Occupations and Environmental Areas at Risk

Many of South Carolina's asbestos problems stem from the vermiculite industry. While vermiculite ore is not dangerous alone, it is now known that it often contains asbestos. With naturally occurring deposits in the northwest region of South Carolina, vermiculite processing was once a major industry. In addition to mining naturally occurring deposits in the state, South Carolina corporations also received hazardous shipments of the mineral from Libby, Montana.

South Carolina residents who did not work with vermiculite may still be at risk of developing asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma. South Carolinians are at an elevated risk if they made asbestos textiles, a common job in Charleston. Studies show these workers have significantly higher rates of pleural plaques and lung cancer.

Other individuals who may have been exposed to asbestos are former shipyard workers. Older ships commonly contained asbestos for insulation purposes, so people who worked in shipyards and helped build ships were probably exposed to asbestos. This is an especially large problem at ones controlled by the Navy, such as Charleston Naval Shipyard.

Raybestos-Manhattan and Textile Workers

Raybestos-Manhattan's North Charleston facility was an asbestos textile plant, and employees were exposed to asbestos during spinning and weaving processes. As early as 1974, employee health was brought into question, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted tests on air samples. Asbestos levels as high as 1.6 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter were found. The highest concentrations, found at yarn spinning stations, were 16 times higher than today's acceptable workplace maximum. These high levels of asbestos exposure put former employees at a high risk of developing asbestos-related health problems such as lung cancer and pleural plaques.

A 1997 study determined lung cancer rates in South Carolina asbestos textile workers. The results showed that 18 percent of the asbestos workers later developed lung cancer, three times higher than the rate observed in a controlled population. The study also noted that 31 percent of asbestos workers developed pleural plaques, compared to only 3 percent of the control group.

Savannah River Site

The Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina, is an active industrial complex managed by the Department of Energy. The site is dedicated to nuclear materials and environmental management. From its start in 1950 until 1986, it was run by the DuPont Corporation. For this 36-year period, employees were commonly in contact with hazards, especially asbestos.

Conditions in the facility prompted NIOSH to study retroactively the effects of occupational hazards. In 2008, NIOSH released a review of the 19,000 workers employed at SRS before 1986. The results suggested that SRS workers had a higher rate of pleural mesothelioma, as compared to the general population. The study noted that the rate of asbestos exposure at SRS has decreased since 1986, and mesothelioma cases are expected to taper accordingly.

Vermiculite Mining and Processing

South Carolina is the largest producer of vermiculite in the United States, which poses a threat to state residents. Although the mineral is not dangerous, vermiculite ore often contains large amounts of asbestos. People who worked at or lived near vermiculite mines or vermiculite processing facilities may have been exposed to asbestos.

Most of South Carolina's vermiculite ore was retrieved from the state's vermiculite mines. Ore was mined at two sites in the Enoree district, located in the northwest part of the state. One site was run by Patterson Vermiculite Company, and the other, larger mine was run by W.R. Grace. As of 2003, W.R. Grace's Enoree facility was one of only two remaining vermiculite producers in the United States. Like vermiculite from Libby, ore mined at both Enoree facilities was found to contain asbestos but in much lower concentrations.

Some of South Carolina's vermiculite threat came from Libby, Montana. Vermiculite from Libby is now known to contain high concentrations of harmful asbestos. Before this was discovered, millions of tons of vermiculite were shipped from Libby mines throughout the United States, with South Carolina processing facilities receiving 8,800 tons. Asbestos was distributed among four South Carolina companies, but the Zonolite/W.R. Grace facility in Traveler's Rest received most of it. Conditions at this facility were dangerous for employees. Workers did not receive respirators, and as a result they breathed air that contained more than 2.5 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter. This is more than double the average concentration within Libby mines.

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