Last week a town in Montana plagued by asbestos-related diseases received some welcome news. U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) announced last week the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) Clinic will receive $2,499,999 for asbestos health screenings. (more…)
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The deadline for Libby, Montana, residents to request asbestos cleanup on their properties has come and gone. March 31 was the end of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “last call” for residents in Libby and surrounding Lincoln County to put their properties’ asbestos remediation on the EPA’s tab, according to the Flathead Beacon.
Libby was home to an asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine from 1963 to 1990, and the EPA has been conducting asbestos cleanup in the surrounding area since it was declared a Superfund site in the early 2000s. The EPA has been wrapping up its final push to get residents to sign access agreements so the agency can investigate and/or remediate remaining properties. (more…)
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Since 2005, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s (ADAO) annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference has brought together more than 300 speakers from 14 different countries to speak about joint efforts in education, advocacy and awareness.
This year’s event, to be held April 7-9, 2107, at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, is set to add to those numbers with doctors, scientists, experts, advocates and victims gathering to help prevent and eliminate asbestos-causing diseases. (more…)
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Last week more than 1,000 workers, family members and community members sickened by a vermiculite mine near Libby, Montana, settled with the state of Montana for a total of $25 million.
The Flathead Beacon reports the settlements stem from nearly 100 lawsuits, each involving multiple claimants, brought against the state for failing to warn citizens of the hazards of the asbestos-contaminated W.R. Grace and Co. mine, which operated for decades outside of the town. The recent settlements follow another in 2011 for $43 million. The recent plaintiffs had not been diagnosed when the 2011 settlement with the state was reached. (more…)
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In 2009, Edwin Moreau died of asbestos-related lung cancer after working at W.R. Grace Mine in Libby, Mont., for almost 30 years. Since he became ill, his wife, Cristita Moreau, has been battling to secure her husband’s benefits to cover his medical expenses. Initially, her claim for occupational disease benefits was refused by Transportation Insurance, W.R. Grace’s company covering claims from sick workers. In 2010, Moreau filed a petition with the Workman’s Compensation Court, which resulted in a settlement in 2013. (more…)
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A team of geologists from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) are examining an area in Southern Nevada where naturally occurring asbestos fibers have been discovered in rocks and dust. The area under investigation stretches from Boulder City to the southeastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley, which encompasses about 1,200 square miles. (more…)
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Despite initial promises to deliver its Human Health Risk Assessment of the Libby, Mont., asbestos Superfund cleanup site in 2005, last week representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the final report would not be ready until late 2014. Residents of Libby have been struggling for more than a decade to recover from massive amphibole asbestos contamination that likely caused the deaths and serious illnesses of hundreds of residents. (more…)
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A new feasibility study examines the possibility of logging some 35,000 acres of timber surrounding the town of Libby, Montana. Libby is the site of the former W.R. Grace & Co. vermiculite asbestos mine, and now the largest and most deadly Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund cleanup site in the United States. (more…)
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A December report by the New York Times revealed that Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) has inserted language into the government’s proposed health care legislation that would provide coverage specifically for people exposed to asbestos in Libby, Montana. According to the report, language in the bill would expand Medicare coverage to vicitims of “environmental health hazards.”
According to the Times, the language is even more precise, calling for coverage for “individuals exposed to environmental health hazards recognized as a public health emergency in a declaration issued by the fedearl government on June 17.” This declaration and date, of course, coincides with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s designation of Libby as a Public Health Emergency area.
The Times quotes Baucus as saying the language is not only intended for the people of Libby, but for anyone in the future whose town is affected by a similar tragedy that affects the health and well-being of its people. He said the legislation would provide a safety net to “help people when they need it most.”
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed their versions of the health care reform bill last year. It is now up to the 111th Congress as a whole to reconcile the two bills so that they may be presented to President Obama for his signature.
Congressional leaders say they hope to accomplish this by the end of January.
As part of its look back at the year 2009, the Missioulian newspaper spoke with residents of Libby, Montana, the “poster child” for mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases. Libby and its people have been decimated by asbestos exposure from the vermiculite mine that for generations operated in the town. Even those who did not work in the mine were affected, as asbestos dust blanketed the town, spilled from trucks and railway cars, and asbestos particles were used as landfill throughout the town.
W.R. Grace & Company operated the mine. In 2009, the company and several of its officers were brought up on criminal charges, but a jury returned a verdict of “not guilty.” Many following the trial closely said the government botched its case against the company, and others argued Grace’s deep pockets simply outpaced the efforts of a handful of government lawyers.
The aquittal was another in a long line of emotional blows for Libby residents, who hoped to see W.R. Grace finally brought to justice for the devastation of their hometown, their families and loved ones. Generations of Libby residents have already died of mesothelioma, and many more are currently suffering from mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and a host of other ailments caused by longterm exposure to asbestos.
On June 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finally declared a public health emergency in Libby. This designation – the first of its kind in American history – will allow the government to increase funds to provide for medical treatment for Libby residents, and for research into asbestos disease. According to the Missoulian, Libby has already received $6 million, which is designated for patient screening and care, and the town is set to receive an additional $2 million for health care and home care assistance. The paper reports the asbestos health care clinic – the Center for Asbestos Related Diseases (CARD) – and the local hospital are planning expansions.
At the beginning of December, a series of town hall meetings were held, hoping to address important questions about safety and health, including whether or not the government’s clean-up efforts are truly making any difference.
For residents who already have seen husbands, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives die terrible deaths from asbestos disease, it is too little too late. They try to remain strong, but they are angry, and sad, and it’s hard to hold onto hope.
Read the full article by Missoulian reporter Micheal Jamison.
