The National Asbestos Exposure Review (NAER) is the name of an Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) project to evaluate sites that received and processed vermiculite mined in Libby, Montana. ATSDR, a federal public health agency, is working on this project with local, state, and other federal agencies. Libby vermiculite was shipped to over 200 locations around the U.S. for processing. We now know that this vermiculite contained asbestos.

What is Vermiculite? Is All Vermiculite Hazardous?

Vermiculite ore is a naturally occurring mineral used widely in various consumer products, such as attic insulation, lawn and garden products, and fireproofing material

Most vermiculite ore and products do not pose a health hazard. Vermiculite from Libby, Montana is of special concern because it contains asbestos.

Prolonged exposure to asbestos can cause very serious health problems, including asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.

People who believe they have been exposed should consult a health care professional with expertise in asbestos related disease. Consult a doctor in your area or search the links available on the NAER links page.

Asbestos and Libby Vermiculite

Vermiculite was mined and processed in Libby, Montana, from the early 1920s through 1990.

The Libby mine is now closed, but many studies show that people who worked in the Libby mine or vermiculite processing facilities—and those who lived near these sites—were exposed to hazardous levels of asbestos while the facilities were in operation.

The Phase 1 Sites

Initially, the National Asbestos Exposure Review (NAER) will focus on 28 Phase 1 sites, which received approximately 80 percent of the vermiculite mined in Libby from 1964 through 1980. ATSDR and other agencies are evaluating human health effects that may be associated with past or current exposure to asbestos at the processing sites and in adjacent communities.

ATSDR will make these evaluations and agency recommendations, in the form of fact sheets and other documents, available to the public as studies are completed.

What are "Phase 1 Sites"?