Concerns about naturally occurring asbestos have caused the federal Bureau of Land Management to close the Clear Creek Management Area in Northern California.  The parkland draws hundreds of off-road enthusiasts, hikers and campers on weekends.  The unimproved area is an opportunity to explore the area’s old mining roads, rare flora and fauna, and rugged scenery.  At fifty square miles, Clear Creek has been a paradise for off-road enthusiasts and dirt bike riders.

About half the Clear Creek Management Area was closed last Friday after the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report saying asbestos in the area posed a serious cancer risk to those who work, hike, camp, hunt, collect gems and ride dirt bikes.

“Frankly, we were surprised at how high the levels of asbestos are at Clear Creek,” said Jere Johnson, a Superfund project manager for the EPA who worked on the study. “What we found is that there is a lot of asbestos in the soil, and when you disturb the soil it poses a health risk.”  In fact, what the EPA seems to have found is one of the hottest of hot spots for natural asbestos in the country.

Clear Creek contains the largest deposits of asbestos in the United States because of its unique combination of faults and volcanic rock, said Arnold Den, a senior science adviser for the EPA.   While the detailed results of the EPA tests are not yet available, the amount of concern reflects the likelihood of an enormous asbestos deposit at or near the surface of the area.