Quoted from http://www.examiner.com/x-29099-Grand-Rapids-Public-Health-Examiner~y2010m7d6-WR-Grace-Co-responsible-for-over-400-deaths-in-Montana-town-due-to-asbestos
WR Grace Co. responsible for over 400 deaths in Montana town due to asbestos
July 6, 10:33 AM
Grand Rapids Public Health Examiner
Nancy Zielinski
Health workers are saying that the W.R. Grace vermiculite mines are responsible for at least 400 deaths in Libby, Montana, due to asbestos contamination. Montana’s congressional delegation is looking to the US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, for assurances the government will continue its cleanup of all the toxic areas W.R. Grace is responsible for throughout the state of Montana.
Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat, and was used as insulation in hundreds of homes and businesses in Libby, Montana. The oldest and largest vermiculite mine was started in Libby, Montana, in the 1920s. W.R. Grace bought the mine in the 1960s and continued to operate the mine until the 1990s in response to asbestos contamination.
The vermiculite mines of Libby, Montana, have a direct link to the state of Michigan. More than 162,000 tons of the Libby ore were sent to a plant in Dearborn, Michigan, between 1948 and 1993. These plants exfoliated the ore to produce vermiculite attic insulation and other products. This process produced massive amounts of asbestos-contaminated dust, very high workplace exposures, and significant airborne asbestos in the surrounding neighborhoods. Although the Dearborn plant received the majority of vermiculite from Libby, other cities in Michigan such as Grand Rapids, Reed City, River Rouge, Warren, Elsie, and Milan received shipments as well. Additional information on the impact vermiculite had on Michigan’s population will be provided in subsequent articles by this author.
According to health experts, breathing in the tiny asbestos fibers that can be released from vermiculite contaminated with asbestos may increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer, mesothelioma, lung abnormalities, and breathing disorders.
