Mesothelioma Blog

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has identified the groups of people most at risk for potential asbestos exposure from the Libby vermiculite mine.

Libby, Montana made national headlines in 1999, when residents of the former mining community began developing mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases at an alarming rate. Government health and environmental agencies soon discovered that the vermiculite mine in Libby was contaminated with asbestos, and had been quietly poisoning the town for decades.

According to the ATSDR report, those most at risk for asbestos exposure, and therefore the most likely to develop mesothelioma and asbestos related illnesses are the workers who labored in the mine’s exfoliation facilities. Since the workers were not informed of the potential asbestos exposure risk, adequate safeguards were not taken, and these workers exposed their families to asbestos fibers which were carried home on their work clothes.

The ATSDR report finds that anyone in the Libby, MT, region who had significant exposure to the vermiculite or waste rock associated with the mine is definitely at risk for developing mesothelioma. The waste rock from the Libby mine was often used as cheap construction material for a wide variety of building projects in the area, including driveways and playgrounds.

In addition to detailing the risk factors for residents of Libby, Montana and the surrounding area, the ATSDR also identifies 78 sites around the country that received Libby vermiculite that may have been contaminated with asbestos.