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US Dept. of Health and EPA to Study Effects of Asbestos in Libby, Montana
By asbestoshub | July 3, 2008
Concern concern over asbestos exposure in Libby dates back to the 1950s, when mining corporation W.R. Grace & Co. knowingly exposed workers to asbestos and kept the dangers hidden from their workers and the general public.
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and the EPA have been working closely with scientists, health professionals and Libby residents since the mid-1990s. Now, funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease, they are set to study the lingering effects of asbestos exposure on the residents of Libby, Montana. The project will provide an in-depth assessment of adverse effects related to asbestos exposure, as well as a long-term study of Libby residents who were exposed at some point to asbestos and may not yet display symptoms related to mesothelioma.
The study is a five-year initiative that federal agencies have named the “Libby Amphibole Health Risk Initiative,” and will go into effect immediately in a monumental effort to further examine the long-term effects of asbestos exposure to Libby residents.
In addition, the initiative will also assess the public health databases and local patient records in order to track asbestos exposure and eventual development of asbestos-related disease.
The new funding is a monumental opportunity for the community and most especially for Montana Senator Max Baucus, who has been credited for his devotion to Libby residents and his tireless efforts related to ongoing asbestos awareness and investigations. HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt called Senator Baucus “passionate” and stated that his organization and the other participating Federal Agencies looked forward to serving the affected Libby residents.
The funding will not only provide the means for ongoing investigation, but will also greatly benefit affected Libby residents in the form of preventative and long-term healthcare and treatment.
For more background, read What Happened in Libby, Montana.
Topics: Exposure |
