This is a guest post by Richard Moyle of the Mesothelioma Center at
Asbestos.com, a one-stop resource on all asbestos issues ranging from
occupational exposure to mesothelioma treatment options

Hazardous Material Cleanup in Montana
For about 70 years, the northwestern Montana town of Libby produced approximately 80% of the world’s vermiculite, an ore that is mined for use in products such as insulation, potting soil and packing material. The mine was opened by the Zonolite Company in 1923, and sold to W.R. Grace & Company in 1963. By the time the mine was shut down in 1990, it was clear that something in the town was not right.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began investigating Libby in 1999 due to an unusually high rate of asbestos-related  diseases in the town. It has since been discovered that the vermiculite that was mined and processed in Libby was contaminated with toxic tremolite asbestos, a substance that has been linked to a rare cancer known as mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma, like most cancers, is best treated when it is diagnosed early. Unfortunately, this type of cancer has an unusually long latency period.   Mesothelioma symptoms do not usually begin showing until about 20 to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos. Typically, by the time it is diagnosed the cancer is in advanced stages and treatment options are more limited.
With a population of less than 3,000, nearly 2,000 people in Libby have become sick with an illness related to asbestos exposure (about 400 have died from these illnesses). On June 17, 2009, the EPA declared a public health emergency in Libby and the neighboring town of Troy.
“This is a tragic public health situation that has not received the recognition it deserves by the federal government for far too long. We’re making a long-delayed commitment to the people of Libby and Troy. Based on a rigorous re-evaluation of the situation on the ground, we will continue to move aggressively on the cleanup efforts and protect the health of the people,” said new EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. Jackson vowed to look into the Libby situation if she was elected and has definitely kept her word.
The government will spend more than $130 million on asbestos cleanup efforts and improve the health care system for those with asbestos-related illnesses. Approximately $125 million will come from the EPA over the next five years to clean up both Libby and Troy, a nearby town of about 1,000 people. An additional $6 million will be spent by the Health and Human Services Department (HSS) on medical assistance.