Consumers are being warned to immediately quit using Zonolite. EPA tests show other brands of vermiculite and some kinds of potting soil contain asbestos, said Bill Dunbar, EPA spokesman in Seattle. Anything over 1 percent is regulated as a toxic waste and requires special handling Zonolite, once manufactured in Spokane, Wash., is still being sold as a soil additive for home gardening, the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday. EPA is not sure how much Zonolite is on the market. EPA discovered the material in Seattle-area stores.
Some people just look for the cheapest source.
The asbestos scare in Seattle has connections to Libby, Mont., a mining town EPA has found to be seriously contaminated with asbestos.