Posts Tagged Montana

Mesothelioma Diagnosis’ in Libby, Montana Expected to Rise

Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Industry, Mesothelioma, Research on August 11, 2008

According to a recent report in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, an epidemic of mesothelioma will hit Libby, Montana in the next 10-20 years.  Dr. Alan Whitehouse, a pulmonologist focusing on asbestos disease treatment in Libby, wrote the report with input from four other doctors, including Dr. Brad Black of the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD Clinic) in Libby.

Whitehouse, who joined the Card Clinic in 2004 to focus exclusively on asbestos victims, said, “The extent of the epidemic of environmental mesothelioma due to exposures based at Libby will probably not peak for another 10 to 20 years. This is a public health problem of considerable magnitude and points to the need for surveillance and early detection of the disease.”

Thus far, a total of 31 cases of malignant mesothelioma have been diagnosed in Libby residents. A significant number of these patients had no direct contact with the mine or mine workers, but merely were members of the community. In one case, a woman had no direct contact with the mine or mine workers, but her work was located 5 miles from the vermiculite mine. She reported that her car was covered in dust everyday. This exposure to asbestos dust eventually led to her mesothelioma diagnosis and subsequent death.

Between the 1940s-1970s, the vermiculite mine in Libby was operating at its highest capacity. Due to the long latency period between exposure to asbestos and a mesothelioma diagnosis, Libby residents are just now starting to be diagnosed with the disease and the numbers are expected to increase. According to Whitehouse, “The number of mesothelioma cases stemming from exposure in Libby likely has been underestimated because it’s been difficult to track the large number of workers who built the Libby dam project from 1966 to 1974. Large numbers of employees at the lumber mill in Libby also frequently were transitory workers.”

Libby is considered to have the highest mesothelioma rate in the United States. More than 200 asbestos deaths have been confirmed in Libby, and the CARD clinic is following about 2,000 additional asbestos cases. “This is the tip of the iceberg,” Whitehouse added. “God knows how many have been exposed. It could be a horrendous epidemic.”

Learn more about your mesothelioma legal options.

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“Libby, Montana” Documentary Nominated for an Emmy

Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Exposure, Industry, Videos on July 22, 2008

Awhile back we wrote about the documentary, “Libby, Montana” that aired on PBS. Since then, the documentary has garnered rave reviews for its intimacy, perception, sense of humor and mostly, for the genuine voice it gives the people of Libby. The documentary is now in the running for an Emmy in the “Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story—Long Form” category.

The film, made in 2004 by High Plains Films’ Doug Hawes Davis and Drury Gunn Carr is about the town that was brought to its knees by asbestos poisoning and then embroiled in the battles with W.R. Grace Corporation and the EPA that followed.

For more information on the documentary, click here.

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Vermiculite Found In Libby, Montana

Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Industry on July 10, 2008

Last Tuesday, large chunks of vermiculite were found in the Riverfront Memorial park of Libby, Montana. How they got there, however, remains a mystery. While checking the area where a pavilion is to be built along the Kootenai River, Mike Cirian, remedial on-sight project manager with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, found a 6-inch wide, 50-yard long line of vermiculite. It was found in a high traffic area that follows the length of the parking lot near the boat ramp and pavilion building site. He immediately sent vac trucks to the area for emergency cleanup and informed the City of Libby as well as the Libby Police.

Cirian believes the chunks were too big to come from underground and they didn’t come off any of the contractors’ trucks doing the multi-million Superfund asbestos cleanup. “I’m pretty sure it’s been there less than a couple weeks,” Cirian said. “This isn’t something you miss. These are large flake, silver-dollar-sized chunks of vermiculite.” The vermiculite had been tracked up and down the parking lot by vehicles, creating a 12,000-square-foot of space to be cleaned of potential contamination.

The park, formerly the old Export Plant site, has been cleaned at least three times in the past. One was a removal action performed by W.R. Grace; the second occurred during the building of the boat ramp; and the third was the EPA’s cleanup of the park, digging down as far as 18 inches. “If — and the emphasis is on the word ‘if’ — somebody is purposely dumping contaminated vermiculite, it’s a really serious situation of endangering the public,” said Libby Mayor Tony Berget. “People could potentially kick up and inhale the dust containing the deadly fibers while driving through the parking lot.”

Two years ago, Environmental Restoration’s parking lot received a similar mysterious deposit of vermiculite. However, it was reported that no one intentionally put it there. Cirian hopes that it is the same this time as well. He said he can’t speculate as to how the vermiculite appeared, but hoped it was a costly mistake, not something done intentionally.

Libby police chief Clay Coker said they are opening an investigation into last week’s spill, and could potentially punish an assailant under a felony Criminal Mischief law, which includes vandalism or tampering with property to endanger or interfere with its use, with damages over $1,000.“In the future, if we identify the suspect, we’ll not only prosecute, we’ll hand it off to other appropriate federal agencies that would also prosecute.” At this point there are no known suspects but the law enforcement is on the lookout for any suspicious activity. Coker said, “If we see anyone moving around after hours, and lo and behold they have a bag of vermiculite on the seat, we will stop and identify them.”

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ADAO Conference speakers: behavioral physician

Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Support on April 18, 2008

As a follow-up to the last post, Dr. Rebecca Cline, also of the Karmanos Cancer Institute, made a striking presentation at the recent ADAO Conference. Cline brought to light a point often left in the dark: the mental tolls of asbestos disease can be as harmful as the physical tolls.

Cline has done extensive research on the psychological impact of asbestos in the vermiculite-mining town of Libby, Montana. Cline called Libby “the worst environmental disaster in the United States.” Because of the slow-moving nature of asbestos, the community has had the drawn-out responsibility of trying to make their neighbors fare well mentally and socially in the face of devastation. Cline said that in this situation, a community will either become charitable and altruistic or plagued with conflict. Libby, unfortunately, experienced the latter.

In interviewing residents, Cline found that people fell into one of three categories: those who readily believed the mine caused disease, those who eventually welcomed the idea, and those who are still in denial. She also uncovered that the residents were reluctant to talk about asbestos-disease because of economic implications; miners feared job loss and citizens feared a decrease in property value. This stigma prevented communication between residents and it created a divide between those affected by the disease and those who were not. Those not affected assumed that the disease was fake, a part acted by money-grubbing hoarders. Victims, consequently, were afraid to talk about asbestos for fear of social isolation.

The denial, division, and deception in Libby prevented citizens from obtaining the safety they deserved. It stunted progress towards asbestos regulation and weighed heavily on the minds of residents. Clearly, Cline’s message rang true: the emotional effects of mesothelioma rival the physical effects.

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Sixth family death an injustice

Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Exposure on April 1, 2008

According to a Winnipeg Free Press article, a Manitoba resident has lost a sixth family member to asbestos-related disease.  Raven ThunderSky, who has been leading a crusade against the Canadian government for endorsing asbestos-laden insulation, told the Free Press, “I can’t put into words how I feel about this.”

Fifty-year-old Rita Swain, ThunderSky’s half-sister, was the sixth family member to die of asbestos complications.  Both of ThunderSky’s parents and four of her sisters have died; five from mesothelioma and one from asbestosis.  ThunderSky, too, has asbestos-related lung disease.

ThunderSky suspects her family contracted disease from Zonolite insulation, which is used in homes and was harvested from the vermiculite mines in Libby, Montana.  Beginning in the late ’70s, the Canadian government gave grants to citizens who wished to install Zonolite in their homes.  An estimated 200,000-300,000 residents took the government up on this offer.

ThunderSky is now lobbying for the government to provide funds to have Zonolite removed from homes.  She believes that Canada has the responsibility to get it out of houses since the government recommended its use.

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