Asbestos-Related Deaths May Rise in Libby

Asbestos-Related Deaths May Rise in Libby (February 7, 2011) Researchers stated that <asbestos-related deaths are expected to rise in Libby, Montana, as the 15-40 year mesothelioma latency period runs its course. Determined by the reports, the mesothelioma cases are expected to rise substantially as W.R. Grace, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, still operates today and has not yet been punished for its blatant disregard for human everyday life. Grace is a company that makes chemical and refining catalysts and other construction materials such as cements, air and vapor barriers and fire safety products that are specifically made out of asbestos-tainted vermiculite compounds. In 1963, it bought Zonolite, a branded trademark product made from vermiculite. Vermiculite, on the other hand, is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. Although pure vermiculites were considered not hazardous, these Zonolite vermiculites are contaminated with high levels of tremolite asbestos, a particularly risky form of asbestos that when inhaled or ingested can manifest asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Tremolite asbestos was released from the vermiculite as dust during mining operation and explosions. In 1999, a series of asbestos-related deaths and diseases were reported at Grace’s former mine.  U.S. federal govt investigators found there was a high level of fibrous tremolite asbestos in the air samples, which is believed to have caused the ailments among Zonolite employees and their family members. Statistics showed that more than 274 area deaths were attributed to asbestos exposure, while seventeen percent were found to have pleural abnormalities. Since May 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spent over $120 million in Superfund money to clean up the asbestos-contaminated soils and other materials in the town of Libby and other neighboring areas. Eight years later, the federal agency launched an $8 million investigation, which resulted in $60 million mesothelioma settlements with an unspecified number of owners throughout the United States who used insulation products manufactured by Grace.

For more information please visit www.seedol.com