August 28th, 2007

An asbestos screening that has been held in Dallas in an area that was once home to a vermiculite plant has seen over five hundred former and current residents show up. The screening took place in the West Dallas neighborhood, and was funded with a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar grant.

However, the Parkland Memorial Hospital only had funding to cover screenings for three hundred people, and a list of people that had to be turned away was made. One of the directors at the hospital stated: "People are hurting and sick, and they're looking for any way to get help."

There have been concerns that both former employees and local residents could have been exposed to the deadly asbestos from the vermiculite plant over the years. The plant was operated by WR Grace & Co between 1953 and 1992.

One architect who worked at the plant decades ago stated: "I remember the houses nearby, and I remember the dust around the plant. I don't remember it in the air, but surely, it must have gone into the surrounding neighborhood. It's just that nobody thought it was an issue back then."