Mineralogical investigation of asbestos contamination of soil near old vermiculite processing plant in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

From 1954 to 1983, a vermiculite processing facility operated near the Honolulu airport and processed raw material from the Libby, Montana mine, which is now well known for the high asbestos content of its clay deposits. The factory was closed in 1983 due to health hazard concerns, and remediation was performed in 2001 as part of the Libby mine superfund project. However, because of close proximity of the closed-down facility to residential areas of metropolitan Honolulu, some concerns remain regarding the possible environmental persistence of the harmful contaminant. To assess the dispersion of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite and explore the impact of trade winds on its distribution, air samples, and soil samples were collected from multiple locations near the former vermiculite plant. Polarized light microscopy was employed to identify elongated minerals, including potential asbestos. Quantitative mineralogical analysis utilizing X-ray powder diffraction and Rietveld refinement revealed an average content of approximately 7% vermiculite and 4% tremolite at the site. The asbestiform nature of tremolite was confirmed through X-ray micro-diffraction. Detailed analysis of airborne samples using transmission electron microscopy revealed no detectable levels of asbestos fibers in the vicinity of the former processing facilities, but the possibility of asbestos fibers becoming airborne due to mechanical disturbance during dry weather cannot be ruled out.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial or non-financial interests which may be considered as potential conflicts of interest:Michele Carbone (M.C.) and Haining Yang (H.Y.) report funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) 1R01ES030948-01 (M.C. and H.Y.), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) 1R01CA237235-01A1 (M.C. and H.Y.) and 1R01CA198138 (M.C.), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) W81XWH-16-1-0440 (H.Y., M.C. T.W.M. and H.I.P.), and from the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation through donations from: the Riviera United-4-a Cure and the Barry and Virginia Weinman Foundation (M.C. and H.Y), the Melohn Family Endowment, the Honeywell International Inc., the Germaine Hope Brennan Foundation, and the Maurice and Joanna Sullivan Family Foundation (M.C.). M.C. has a patent issued for “Methods for Diagnosing a Predisposition to Develop Cancer.” M.C. and H.Y. have a patent issued for “Using Anti-HMGB1 Monoclonal Antibody or other HMGB1 Antibodies as a Novel Mesothelioma Therapeutic Strategy,” and a patent issued for “HMGB1 As a Biomarker for Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Early Detection”. M.C. is a board-certified pathologist who provides consultation for pleural pathology, including medical legal.
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