Mesothelioma Asbestos Alert: EPA announces plan for removing carcinogenic Libby asbestos

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced their plans for combating the carcinogenic asbestos plaguing the community of Libby, Montana. Once home to a vermiculite mine tainted by asbestos deposits, today many Libby residents are suffering from mesothelioma or other health problems. According to EPA officials, the agency plans to use a combination of soil removal and containment at two former vermiculite processing areas in Libby. Officials plan to contain the soil by capping it with clean dirt. It is hoped that these combined tactics will prevent asbestos in the soil from becoming airborne.

When airborne, tiny asbestos fibers can float long distances, and can also be easily inhaled by humans. When accidentally inhaled or ingested, these tiny fibers can damage major organs or tissues, ultimately leading to lesions that can turn cancerous later in life. For example, asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that kills some patients within a few months of being diagnosed.

Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis. Other asbestos-related health problems may include various forms of lung cancer, lung scarring, or asbestosis, a chronic respiratory ailment.

Officials with both the EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality signed off on the proposal on Monday. EPA officials say the plan will be reevaluated after a risk assessment is completed at the site of the former vermiculite mine, which was previously operated by W.R. Grace & Co.