Bad Vermiculite
December 3rd, 2006Asbestos dangers remained hidden for decades
Sad story of more people affected by asbestos-laden vermiculite at a processing plant in Salt Lake City. The ore that was processed came from Libby, Montana, where 200 people have died from asbestosis or complications arising from exposure to asbestos.
I’ve written about vermiculite before on blurbomat (here and here). o
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December 4th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
The story of Libby is tragic, made even more so by purported “Montana Folks” screwing them at every turn. Former Gov. Marc Racicot (who was also the chair of the Republican Party and Bush’s re-election campaign), through his role as head of the American Insurance Association led the charge to defeat legislation that would provide federal impetus to begin to heal the community.
Dust from the vermiculite mines was taking home with the miners - on their clothes, hair - and then infected their wives and children. The local running track was covered, and so the junior high and high school students inhaled it deeply when at track practice.
Throughout, W.R. Grace board members operated under the full and complete understanding that they were causing generational cancer in this tiny mountain community working so hard for the company. They knowingly concealed information when repeatedly asked about the health dangers.
It’s like a bad, bad dream, and we’re nowhere near waking up.
December 4th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
My mother-in-law (a Montana native) remembers playing in piles of Zonolite as a child, when her dad insulated their house.
December 4th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
I’ve lived in Montana for my whole life. I grew up being scared to death of Asbestos. Now I have a much more pragmatic view of it. More than 5000 people in Libby came in daily contact with asbestos dust. 200 have died. Lots are sick and lots more don’t show any problems at all. Asbestos is just like any other environmental toxin, for some people, any exposure will kill you. For others, it doesn’t seem to bother them at all (look at smoking). Chances are at least one house in every neighborhood has asbestos in it. You’ve been exposed, they used it in everything. There isn’t anything you can do about it. Here is another dirty little secret. Asbestos insulation looks just like fiberglass under a microscope. I think someday we are going to realize that fiberglass will rough up some people just like asbestos.
Stop worrying about things you can’t fix. After all, nobody gets out alive.
December 4th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Brice - I don’t know you at all, but that is a load, in my opinion.
“Hey, workers! Come make a bazillion dollars for us!”
“Will this hurt us? Is the dust why we’re getting sick?”
“Of COURSE not! TRUST us! PINKY swear!”
200 have died, and a helluva lot more are really, really sick. It’s criminal, not only according to me, but according to real live big-brained Federal Judges.