The small town of Libby, Montana is like many small towns in America. They are a tight knit community built with an economy built around one employer – an asbestos mining company. The asbestos mining process and production caused an untold millions of pounds of asbestos fibers to be released into the atmosphere, which caused over 1,000 illnesses and 200 deaths in the small Montana community.

Asbestos is a natural fiber found throughout much of the world. It is prized for its insulating capabilities and the ease with which the thin asbestos fibers can be mined, processed, and used in commercial applications. But there is a major problem with asbestos… asbestos can have devastating health effects if it is inhaled into the lungs.

When small asbestos particles are made airborne, they can be inhaled into the lungs where they imbed themselves into the lungs and cause irritation. The lungs are never able to expel the asbestos fibers and prolonged exposure to asbestos particles can cause asbestosis, or scarring of the lung tissues. Symptoms of asbestosis include irritation, inflammation, and scar tissue in the lungs, and there is no cure.

A similar asbestos related lung disease is mesothelioma, which is a rare form of lung cancer related to asbestos exposure. People who have asbestosis have an increased chance of contracting mesothelioma, which is usually incurable and fatal.

Libby, Montana strikes back

The town of Libby, Montana claims the W.R. Grace Mining Company kept them in the dark about the dangers of asbestos, and that the mining company produced asbestos pollution by not adhering to environmental standards. The case is complicated by many factors and there are many hurdles the federal prosecuters must clear while trying this case. You can read more about this story at the CNN article: Decades later, asbestos-ravaged town has its day in court.

Best wishes to the residents, family members, and friends of those in Libby, Montana.