Libby Receives Government Funding for Asbestos Contamination
Residents in Libby, Montana will receive a $6 million grant to help those in the area that are suffering from an asbestos related illness. According to U.S. Senator Max Baucus the funding could accelerate the labeling of a public health emergency in the small mining town that has gained national popularity as the origin of the W.R. Grace asbestos poisoning trial surrounding alleged violations of asbestos laws.
Currently, the town has been declared a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency. If the town’s designation were upgraded to a health emergency, there would be an expansion of the environmental cleanup and health coverage for those in the area. Many residents as well as Senator Baucus have been working for the designation of Libby as a public health emergency for years but had no success with the Bush administration. There is a renewed sense of hope with the new Obama administration.
Over 200 people have died and hundreds of others have been sickened in Libby from the asbestos exposure in a vermiculate mine previously operated by W.R. Grace and Company. Senator Baucus says the funding is “vital to folks up in Libby who are victims of an asbestos-related disease.”
Others in the area are pleased with the news after a disappointing verdict for residents in the W.R Grace trial that acquitted three executives of criminal charges related to the asbestos poisoning. The federal grant money will go to screening and health services for the people suffering from asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Organizations such as the Center for Asbestos-Related Diseases Clinic, Lincoln County Health Center and St. John’s Lutheran Hospital will all benefit from the funding.
Senator Baucus appreciates the help but still continues to work on his cause. ‘I have made a promise that I intend to keep. I have every confidence that a public health emergency will be declared in Libby. We won’t stop pushing until that happens,” he said.
Source: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/05/22/top/55st_090522_libby.prt
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