More than 400 people have been killed and another 1,700 have been sickened by asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana. While we have written about this small town of around 3,000 people before, the Associated Press reported on July 15, 2012, that the park situated atop of a vermiculite plant that spewed asbestos dust across the town for years hosted a wedding the previous weekend. Two documentary films and four books have been produced regarding the asbestos issue in Libby, but Mayor Doug Roll told the AP that the government’s recent transfer of the park to the city “offers a symbolic break from Libby’s lethal past.”
“It’s sort of like Phoenix rising from the ashes,” Roll told the AP. “We’ve had a lot of negative stuff going on and we’re trying to turn that around.”
According to the AP, federal cleanup so far has cost $447 million. However, the progress Libby has made does not mean the mountain town has completely escaped the consequences of the past. As is the case with mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure, the AP noted that the long latency period means that the “deaths are expected to continue for decades.” Furthermore, because of how highly contaminated Libby was, the AP reported that federal regulators say some of the dangerous vermiculite remains.
There is more information about and industries and occupations with high risk for mesothelioma on our website. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you can use the form located on this page to tell us about your case or you can contact our firm by telephone at (800) 687-3333 to have our Dallas litigation lawyers review your case.
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