Workers exposed to legal levels of asbestos suffer lung damage 25 years later

Results from a new study conducted by University of Cincinnati researchers reveal that workers who were exposed to asbestos from the Libby mines in Montana 25 years ago are showing signs of health effects related to asbestos, even when exposed to amounts below legal limits.

A study was conducted in 1980 which included 513 workers at an asbestos processing plant which received vermiculite, a deadly form of asbestos, from a Libby mine. All the workers had handled materials that met the legal health standards at the time.

The lead researcher of the University of Cincinnati group is Dr. James Lockey, who was also in charge of the 1980 study.

In the follow-up study, 280 workers out of the 431 still alive were interviewed about their work history, exposure levels, and current lung health. They were also given chest x-rays and examined by professional radiologists.

The results showed that many of the workers had lung damage as well as scarring and thickening of chest wall membrane, which Dr. Lockey says was even seen in individuals who had been exposed to low levels of asbestos.

Researchers also discovered that increased exposure levels coincided with higher affected rates of pleural changes.

Vermiculite from the Libby mines were first linked with lung cancer in the late 1970s when the number of reports of former workers developing the condition spiked. The mines had produced up to 80 percent of the vermiculate used worldwide at one point in time.

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