The US Government has decided to bail out Libby, Montana, the town plagued with asbestos related illnesses and deaths. The Obama administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that they will support the town of Libby with a $130 million grant to help with clean up efforts and medical assistance. This will help make the town livable again.

Dust from the nearby asbestos mines, run by mine operator W.R. Grace, coated the town and caused contamination to Libby and nearby towns. Before the full affects of asbestos contamination were known, residual asbestos byprducts were used for but filler in driveway construction, gardens and playgrounds.

According to CNN:

The Libby operation began producing vermiculite — a mineral often used in insulation — in 1919. Dust from the plant covered patches of grass, dusted the tops of cars and drifted through the air in a hazy smoke that became a part of residents’ daily lives.

But the product was contaminated with tremolite asbestos, a particularly toxic substance that has been linked to mesothelioma, a cancer that can attack the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart.

The government assistance is well overdue and I hope the residents of hte Libby and surrounding areas get the health care assistance they need and deserve, and I hope the EPA will find a way to help decontaminate the area so people can live in a more healthy environment.