Libby, MT
The Center for Asbestos Related Disease is working on new research articles that will be released throughout this year. They will be focusing on asbestos and autoimmune disease. The articles will show results from analyzing the health impact of exposure to amphibole asbestos from Libby, Montana. It can take less exposure to amphibole asbestos fibers…
Asbestos exposure screenings are being performed in Libby, Montana. The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) is going around the state offering screenings to people who cannot or are not willing to travel. Libby, Montana was heavily contaminated with asbestos because of a contaminated vermiculite mine operating in the area. It is one of the…
Last weekend at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, a 75- minute documentary about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma made its world debut, highlighting the aggressive and often fatal diseases associated with asbestos exposure, and how it has affected so many lives. After mesothelioma claimed the life of their grandmother in 2012, cousins Conor Lewis…
Since asbestos was used for decades in thousands of products ranging from attic insulation to woven oven mitts, it is hard to imagine that this versatile material is actually a naturally occurring mineral, composed of chemical compounds bundled into fibers. Found in serpentine, mafic, and altered ultramafic rocks, asbestos is divided into two groups – serpentine and…
Recognized as one of the six types of asbestos, tremolite is considered to be one of the more deadly forms of asbestos due to its long, sharp, needle-like fibers that are easily inhaled and embedded in the soft tissue of the lungs and surrounding organs. Tremolite is generally found in other minerals such as vermiculite,…
The dangers of asbestos have affected thousands of residents in the small town of Libby, Montana for decades. In 1919, the town that was once known for its logging industry discovered vermiculite mines – a naturally occurring mineral that is useful for fire-proofing, wall and loft insulation, and even soil conditioning. W.R. Grace bought the…
There are six different types of asbestos that occur naturally throughout the world. Asbestos is actually the generic name given and is not a mineralogical definition. A mineral product that is flexible, possesses high tensile strength, is heat resistant, resistant to chemical degradation, and can be woven into fabric is commercially designated as “asbestos.” Asbestos…
Most people never think or worry about asbestos. Once deemed a miracle fiber, the substance’s use was largely eradicated after OSHA came into existence. What many don’t realize is the lasting effects of the carcinogen. At one time before the dangers were realized, asbestos appeared in a variety of manufactured items, from insulation to clothing. Exposure occurred…
While exploring northwestern Montana in 1916, prospectors made a unique discovery in the mountains that would forever affect the people in the nearby town of Libby. This strange mineral was resistant to high heat and fire, making it ideal for construction materials. Mining began three years later of the vermiculite, called Zonolite by the early…
