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News Releases from Region 05

EPA to Clean Up Asbestos Debris at Houghton County Historical Museum

10/19/2016
Contact Information: 
Rachel Bassler (bassler.rachel@epa.gov)
312-886-7159

For Immediate Release: No. 16-OPA040

CHICAGO (Oct. 19, 2016) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced an agreement with Honeywell Specialty Materials LLC and the Houghton County Historical Museum Society to cleanup asbestos debris at the Houghton County Historical Museum in Lake Linden, Mich. EPA advises the public to avoid the train tracks and nearby areas including the stamp mill bases until the cleanup is completed.

EPA’s cleanup work will begin later this month and is expected to take about five weeks. The Agency has directed the Historical Society which owns the museum to restrict public access to the site and post warning signs at the perimeter.

The museum site was owned by the Calumet and Hecla Mining Co. which processed copper ore there from the late 1800’s until the mid-1900’s. Honeywell later acquired Calumet and Hecla. Many of the original building structures were demolished leaving behind piles of bricks, wood, metal, and other debris that contain asbestos. Portions of the facility are currently maintained for historical purposes.

For information about the health effects of asbestos, please visit the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=4

To learn more about this site, visit: www.epaosc.org/calumetstamp

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