Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Libby, Montana has become infamous for the asbestos mine which has been declared responsible for the mesothelioma deaths of at least 400 people, which in actuality is probably many more but were not officially tied to the debacle.  However, Bruce Ingraham, a long time asbestos abatement expert, warns that the exposure the single Montana town has been given may blind folks to the asbestos danger in their own back yards.

“No matter where you live in Montana,” Mr. Ingraham said in a statement published in the Billings Gazette, “you may have your own ‘Libby’ next door.”

For years, asbestos contaminated vermiculite was mined, processed, and transported from the W.R. Grace facility which provided a financial backbone for the town of Libby for decades The mine was finally shut down in 1990.  That vermiculite from this one mine ended up all over the United States and the world, with those along the lines of transportation hit the hardest.  In fact, 90 percent of the mesothelioma cases in Montana itself are diagnosed in people who lived along rail lines at the time that vermiculite was being hauled. 

Mr. Ingraham warns that "awareness of Libby needs to be applied to your own home, school and work environment." 

As damaging, deadly, and costly as the vermiculite disaster was, it involved only one product.  Hundreds or thousands of products contained asbestos before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned its use.  Some of these materials, such as Karstolite, contain up to 20 times the amount of asbestos that was present in the vermiculite shipping out of Libby. 

While regulations are in place to mandate the way standing asbestos materials are handled, Mr. Ingraham points out several high profile abatement scandals in which so-called “experts” fraudulently reported successful removal of the asbestos or cases in which those contractors mishandled the contaminated materials and placed the lives of their workers and those of the general public at risk due to greed or ignorance. 

Even your friends and neighbors are at risk for causing unnecessary asbestos exposure if they attempt home renovation projects without understanding the danger.  That’s why Mr. Ingraham urges the public at large to become educated about asbestos and keep an eye out for any renovation or demolition projects which may cause a potential health crisis. 

Remember, mesothelioma is an invariably deadly type of cancer with no cure.  That means once the fateful diagnosis is made, the victims will succumb to the disease.  Unfortunately, it’s just a matter of when. 

If such projects are believed to be occurring in your neighborhood, Mr. Ingraham suggests you take your safety and the safety of your family into your own hands and contact your state’s office of environmental protection.  You can also contact the EPA, which has many local offices and agents available across the country, or other protective agencies such as Montana’s own Asbestos Control Program.