Montana Researchers Study W. R. Grace's Asbestos Contamination Statewide

MISSOULA, Mont. - Researchers at the University of Montana (UM) are currently studying the statewide effects of asbestos contaminations that resulted from W. R. Grace Company's former vermiculite mining operations near the town of Libby. Asbestos is a well known cancer-causing agent that has been largely banned in the United States and other nations around the world.

In laboratories located less than a mile from the federal courthouse where six former Grace executives are currently standing trial on criminal asbestos contamination charges, scientists are examining the potential long-term health effects of Libby mined asbestos on all the citizens of Montana. Elizabeth Putnam is an associate professor at UM's Center for Environmental Health Sciences where researchers are looking closely at Libby-mined asbestos contaminations in Montana.

"It's an important issue for our state," said Putnam. "It's not just Libby. It's been transported across the state. It's more than just the fibrosis and the cancer; there are a lot of different diseases that can result from this, and that's why it's important to study the issue."

Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally in the soil or in exposed rock formations. Asbestos can be found in a variety of chemical compositions, colors, and geologic types, though, all forms of the fibrous, silicate material are considered to be hazardous to human health. Asbestos was once highly prized by numerous manufacturers because of its ability to withstand the effects of heat, electrical currents, and corrosive chemicals. Once used in everything from automotive bake pads to building materials to gardening supplies, asbestos can still be found in countless older buildings and products worldwide.

In the 1970s, scientists confirmed that microscopic, airborne asbestos fibers can be inhaled into the lungs where they become permanently embedded in soft tissues; up to 50 years later, these fibers can lead to the onset of serious respiratory diseases such as asbestosis and malignant pleural mesothelioma - the latter being a highly aggressive, incurable, and always fatal form of cancer. More than 200 people in the town of Libby have died from asbestos-related disease, and well over a 1,000 Libby residents have been sickened by asbestos exposures.

In a collaborative effort between herself and five other UM professors, Putnam is currently studying the effects of Libby mined vermiculite asbestos on mice. "We do what we do because we are trying to get a particular route of therapy for people," said Putnam. "Once asbestos fibers are in your lungs, they don't come out; you have them for life," she continued. "Since we can't remove the asbestos, we need to modify the way the body reacts to it."

Other researchers want to protect individuals from future exposures to asbestos. Assistant professor at UM's Health Sciences laboratories, Tony Ward, has identified asbestos fibers that had embedded themselves in the bark of trees located near the Libby mine, an alarming discovery that could have a significant negative impact on the health of U.S. Forest Service employees as well as other loggers in the region.

"There is a lot of asbestos in the whole forest," Ward said. "Our focus has shifted to protecting the people who work up there. The whole idea of harvesting the trees is secondary at this point," Ward added. Professor Ward's research has been published in numerous scientific journals worldwide, and the EPA used Ward's findings as a basis for independent asbestos/forestry studies of its own in 2007.

Other UM Health Sciences studies have focused on asbestos related health issues specific to the citizens of Libby because levels of certain autoantibodies were found to be higher in Libby townspeople than in individuals from other parts of the state. These autoantibodies are linked to a higher incidence of diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis-disturbing findings that are causing researchers to look harder than ever at the problem of asbestos contaminations in the state of Montana.

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