Asbestos contamination in Libby and Troy, Montana have created such a public health concern that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Health and Human Services (HHS) used the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to implement further clean-up action and health care for residents. The incidences of asbestosis, a lung disease caused by asbestos exposure, is significantly higher in the Libby area than the national average for the period from 1979-1998. Asbestos exposure is also the primary cause of mesothelioma.
Two HHS agencies are tasked with helping Libby and Troy residents who need medical care. A grant proposal is in the works that will lay out options for the much needed medical care. HHS anticipates the grant to be awarded in August, 2009.
A vermiculite mine was discovered in 1881 by gold miners. The Zonolite Company began mining this asbestos in the 1920s, and sold the operations to W.R. Grace in 1963. The mine closed in 1990.
The Libby asbestos site has been on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List since 2002, and while these efforts have reduced asbestos exposure, release of asbestos still remains a major threat to the community. Newly appointed EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said “This is a tragic public health situation that has not received the recognition it deserves by the federal government for far too long. We’re making a long-delayed commitment to the people of Libby and Troy. Based on a rigorous re-evaluation of the situation on the ground, we will continue to move aggressively on the cleanup efforts and protect the health of the people.”
The hope is the grant will make quality health care more accessible, as well as provide additional resources to clean-up asbestos in the area.
Tags: asbestos, EPA, mesothelioma, vermiculite, WR Grace
