El Dorado Hills

El Dorado Hills is a community in El Dorado County, California, built on and around naturally occurring deposits of asbestos, including tremolite, actinolite, and chrysotile. Residents, schoolchildren, and construction workers have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers released from soil and rock during everyday activities such as playing, walking, biking, and grading land for development. The community became the focus of a major U.S. EPA investigation in the mid-2000s that documented significant fiber release from ordinary disturbance of the ground.

Origin

The name comes from the Spanish "El Dorado," referring to the legendary golden city, applied broadly to the Sierra Nevada foothills during the California Gold Rush. The town's modern significance in asbestos history dates to 2004, when EPA Region 9 conducted activity-based air sampling at local schools and parks and found elevated asbestos fiber concentrations linked to naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) in the underlying geology.

Significance in Asbestos Context

El Dorado Hills is one of the most important U.S. examples that asbestos exposure is not limited to factories, shipyards, or insulation work. Environmental and residential exposure from naturally occurring asbestos can also cause disease. For patients diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illness who lived, attended school, or worked in construction in this area, the geological setting itself may be a documented source of exposure. This matters legally because it expands potential defendants beyond traditional product manufacturers to include developers, grading contractors, and other parties who disturbed asbestos-bearing rock, and it shifts the evidentiary focus toward EPA reports, soil and air sampling data, and residential history.

Example Sentence

Her oncologist asked whether she had ever lived in El Dorado Hills, because the family had bought a home there in the late 1990s when grading and new construction were widespread.

Related Terms

Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA), Tremolite, Actinolite, Environmental Exposure, Activity-Based Sampling, Libby Montana

Notes

• If you or a family member lived, attended school, or worked outdoors in El Dorado Hills, document the exact addresses and dates and preserve them for your medical and legal teams.
• Ask treating physicians to record the El Dorado Hills residence in your exposure history; this is critical for both diagnosis and any future claim.
• Request and preserve copies of the EPA Region 9 El Dorado Hills reports (2005) and any El Dorado County NOA assessments, as these are key supporting documents.
• Gather school enrollment records, youth sports records, and photos showing outdoor activity on bare ground, ball fields, or trails. These help establish activity-based exposure.
• This exposure pathway is most relevant to mesothelioma and other tremolite/actinolite-driven diseases; mention it specifically to any pulmonologist or pathologist reviewing your case.