Ambler, PA's Asbestos Superfund Sites: What Nearby Homeowners Need to Know

Ambler, Pennsylvania is home to two EPA National Priorities List Superfund sites associated with asbestos waste from decades of industrial manufacturing — making it one of the more significant asbestos contamination cases in Pennsylvania. If you live near the former industrial areas in Ambler, understanding what the Superfund designation actually covers — and what it does not — matters for how you approach your property.

The Industrial History Behind the Superfund Designations

For much of the twentieth century, Ambler was a center of asbestos manufacturing in the Philadelphia region. Keasbey & Mattison Company operated asbestos manufacturing facilities in the borough from 1881 through the mid-twentieth century, producing insulation products, asbestos textiles, pipe covering, and floor tile. The company was one of the largest asbestos manufacturers in the United States during its operating period.

The operations ran for decades, and the waste generated — asbestos-containing processing residues and fiber piles — was deposited in large waste piles within and adjacent to the manufacturing facilities. The EPA designated these sites as Superfund sites under CERCLA — the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act — because the contamination represented a potential risk to public health and required federally supervised remediation. Both sites were listed on the National Priorities List. W.R. Grace & Co. is also identified as a potentially responsible party for cleanup costs at the BoRit site, having later acquired some of the former K&M assets and contributed additional contaminated material.

What the Superfund Sites Actually Are

The contamination at the Ambler Superfund sites is asbestos in soil, fill, and waste pile material — not asbestos in building materials. This is an important distinction.

Industrial asbestos waste piles present a risk primarily through:

Fiber release to air when waste material is disturbed, eroded, or excavated
Soil contamination on properties where asbestos-containing fill was used as backfill or grading material over the years
Runoff and erosion that could migrate contaminated soil beyond the immediate site boundary

The EPA has conducted extensive remediation work at the Ambler sites, including capping waste piles, stabilizing contaminated soil, and implementing institutional controls that restrict certain land uses in affected areas. PA DEP Southeast Region (2 East Main Street, Norristown, PA 19401, (484) 250-5920) participates in ongoing monitoring under the Superfund framework.

What “Institutional Controls” Means for Nearby Properties

EPA Superfund remediation often includes institutional controls — restrictions on land use recorded against specific properties that remain in effect after active cleanup is complete. These can include:

Restrictions on excavation or grading in areas where contaminated soil is capped rather than excavated
Requirements to notify the EPA or PA DEP before ground disturbance of a certain depth
Deed notices that disclose the contamination history

Not every property near the former Ambler industrial sites has institutional controls. The controls are property-specific and tied to properties directly affected by contamination. The way to determine whether a specific property carries an institutional control is to:

Check the property deed and title search — institutional controls are typically recorded as deed restrictions or environmental covenants
Contact PA DEP Southeast Region, which maintains records for sites under state oversight
Check the EPA’s Superfund site records for the specific sites through the EPA Superfund site search

The Distinction Between Site Contamination and Building Materials

Homeowners near the Ambler Superfund sites are dealing with two separate asbestos questions that should not be conflated:

Question 1: Does my soil or yard area contain asbestos from the industrial operations? This is a site-specific environmental question. It depends on whether your property was affected by asbestos-containing fill or waste migration from the former Keasbey & Mattison facilities. PA DEP and EPA records are the sources for answering this.

Question 2: Does my home contain asbestos-containing building materials? This is a separate question that applies to any pre-1980 home anywhere in Montgomery County. Pipe insulation, floor tiles, plaster, duct insulation, and roofing in homes built before 1980 may contain asbestos regardless of proximity to any industrial site. Ambler’s housing stock is largely pre-1960, which means the general residential asbestos risk is as present here as it is in Norristown, Conshohocken, or Lansdale.

The two questions require different responses. In-building asbestos is addressed through a licensed inspector sampling suspect materials before any renovation. Soil contamination from industrial operations is addressed through PA DEP and EPA records review, and — where confirmed — licensed environmental remediation under the applicable regulatory framework.

What Homeowners Near the Former Industrial Areas Should Do

Before buying a property in Ambler: Request a full title search that surfaces any recorded deed restrictions or environmental covenants. If the seller or their attorney cannot confirm the absence of institutional controls, contact PA DEP Southeast Region directly.

Before any excavation or major grading work on a property in the affected area: Confirm with PA DEP and your title records whether any notification or approval requirements apply. This is separate from the asbestos notification requirements that apply to in-building contractor work under PA L&I regulations.

For in-building work: Before any renovation that will disturb pipe insulation, floor tiles, ceiling materials, or plaster in an Ambler home built before 1980, have a PA-certified asbestos inspector sample the suspect materials. This is standard due diligence for any pre-1980 home in the county — in Ambler, the industrial history is one more reason to take it seriously.

If you have concerns about past exposure: The National Cancer Institute provides guidance on medical surveillance for people with documented or suspected asbestos exposure histories. This is a conversation for your physician.

What the Superfund Status Does Not Mean

Living near an EPA Superfund site triggers alarm for reasonable reasons, but the Superfund designation does not mean:

That every property in Ambler is contaminated — the designation applies to specific sites, not the entire borough
That living in Ambler poses an ongoing, active exposure risk — the waste piles have been capped and stabilized as part of remediation
That in-building asbestos in your home is the same problem as the site contamination — they are different materials requiring different responses

The EPA and PA DEP have been monitoring and remediating the Ambler sites for decades. Current exposure risk from the industrial sites is governed by the remediation status and institutional controls in place — not by proximity alone.

ACI-TECH, INC. serves Montgomery County, including Ambler and surrounding communities. If you are planning renovation work in a pre-1980 Ambler home, call (610) 497-7162 or contact us online for a free estimate. We handle asbestos testing and inspection, abatement, and all required PA DEP and PA L&I notifications as part of every project. For a complete overview of asbestos and lead paint risks throughout Montgomery County, see our Montgomery County asbestos and lead remediation guide.

Sources