Libby Residents Concerned about Mesothelioma
Months after the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared the town of Libby, Montana a public health emergency over asbestos exposure concerns, citizens and job-site workers remain concerned whether they are at risk for developing asbestos-related cancers such as mesothelioma.
Libby is the site where W.R. Grace and Company operated a toxic vermiculite mine that was highly contaminated with asbestos. Several parts of the town were also affected by asbestos exposure including playgrounds, roads and other residential areas. For decades workers in Libby brought the toxic dust home on their clothes where they unintentionally exposed their families to asbestos.
Although the EPA along with the U.S. Department of Health Human Services (HHS) began using a $6 million health care grant for treating patients with an asbestos-related disease in Libby, many are dissatisfied about the EPA not providing the results of risk-assessments for specific areas. Residents such as Lerah Parker are still unsure whether it is even safe to return to Libby. “What is a safe dose for Libby? I want to know when it’s safe to bring my family back to our property,” Parker said.
Approximately 400 Libby residents have passed away from an illness related to asbestos exposure. According to the HHS, about 500 people out of the 3,900 that currently live in Libby and the nearby town Troy experience asbestos-related problems.
Statistics also reveal that about 50 new medical cases related to asbestos are reported each year and nearly 2,000 Libby residents have been affected since the official closing of W.R. Grace and Company’s asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine in 1990.
Malignant mesothelioma is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. When toxic asbestos fibers are inhaled, they may become lodged in organs or body cavities, causing inflammation or infection. The effects of mesothelioma may not be felt immediately after exposure as the latency period is as high as 50 years. Symptoms and warning signs of mesothelioma typically include shortness of breath, chest pain and weight loss, resembling symptoms felt by other less serious conditions.
Though a cure for mesothelioma does not exist, treatment options such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery are available to patients to combat the disease. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, accounting for approximately 3 percent of cancer diagnoses in the United States.
Additional information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.
