Poisoned by Asbestos Mines: Welcome to Libby, Montana

Posted: April 26th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Asbestos Cancer: Mesothelioma Related | Tags: asbestos poisoning, asbestosis treatment, mesothelioma class action, pleural plaque, symptoms, wrongful death compensation | No Comments »

Poisoned by Asbestos Mines: Strange Rumblings in Libby, Montana

Will Justice prevail for what has been called Mass Murder?

After an extended epidemic of asbestos-related cases of plueral mesothelioma involving young and old alike, W.R. Grace was called to task as owner of the local mine. Some of the poisoning symptoms were quite extreme.

Libby is a small Montana town in the Rocky Mountains. The location is rather isolated and has much natural beauty. Too bad the place is so toxic after years of asbestos mining in the surrounding area. The town has lost literally scores of men -killed off (poisoned) by lethal asbestos from the local mine.

Young men -and men who never worked in the mine are not exempt. Many middle aged people in the town are sick and dying from just being there. As an example, they may have played Little League baseball at the field located near the mine. Consequently, many years later, they develop the lung disease that is destroying their lives. There are many such cases.

Over the course of many years, it has developed into a full blown criminal case against executives and managers of W.R. Grace -a big corporation that owned the mine. The company is accused of knowingly allowing the miners and townspeople to breathe the asbestos dust, which permeated the whole town. It has been called the worst case in U.S. history of industrial poisoning of an entire community. When you consider the reach of the Love Canal pollution, that is no small statement.

Asbestos airborne particulate blew throughout the town. Stockpiles of the mineral ore surrounded the Libby mine and processing plant during the years it was operational.

In an effort to be a good neighbor, W.R. Grace donated slag from the mine to four schools for projects like running tracks and an ice rink back in the ’70s. The slag was graciously accepted and utilized while the material unknowingly was laced with asbestos fibers. The slag was mixed with other materials, as well, to make two junior baseball pitches.

About 10% of the population has died from asbestos exposure, almost half are ill and new cases were being diagnosed at a rate of one a week.

About one quarter of the cases are former mine workers and another quarter of the cases are made up of the miners’ immediate families. The remaining 50% had no direct connection to the mining operation. Some patients have minor spots in their lungs, while others have contracted full-blown mesothelioma lung cancer.

It required hundreds of private lawsuits, but finally the U.S. Justice Dept. indicted the Grace Company and put five (5) senior executives on trial. It is alleged that they knew about the risks, that they conspired to conceal them and did not cooperate with the investigation and in so doing, obstructed justice. The trial in the nearby city of Missoula ended in May, 2009 and resulted in the acquittal of the company and three of its executives. There are civil cases pending for residents who seek restitution for health claims. There are many unflattering opinions bandied about as to the competence of those who handled the case for the US Justice Department.

The W.R. Grace Co. has since gone bankrupt in the face of 100,000 asbestos-related lawsuits, mostly brought by plant workers around the entire country where raw vermiculite from Libby had been processed. The company agreed to enter into a settlement.

It has been reported that the trial was about justice more than money. Grace had been found guilty at civil trials, but they had never apologized. They had never publicly accepted responsibility, either morally or legally. Libby, Montana: Poisoned by asbestos mines. Some have said W.R. Grace got away with murder.

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