Soil samples are set to be collected and tested after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressed concerns over the possibility of contamination from asbestos-tainted products manufactured in a nearby insulation production facility. The factory in question is under the control of the W.R. Grace company, the same company in charge of a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, which was contaminated with asbestos. The mine dispersed a fine particulate cover across the small Montana town, and contamination was rampant. Reports of over 200 deaths related to the asbestos contamination eventually reached federal legislators, who ordered the EPA to test and clean the area.
As such, the EPA has decided to take precautionary measures against further potential health concerns by testing for asbestos contamination in residential areas near Vermiculite Northwest, the production facility involved in manufacturing Zonolite insulation. The Zonolite insulation was manufactured using the same contaminated vermiculite found in the Libby, Montana mine.
According to reports, the EPA is testing 9 different sites from a nearby residential yard and will now analyze the samples in a government laboratory using the most advanced asbestos detecting tests available. Despite previous testing in early 2000, new testing for asbestos contamination has improved significantly in the past 10 years. The development of new testing methods coupled with the recent revelations of the extent Libby, Montana contamination and subsequent health effects has prompted the EPA to retest the soil. The newest tests can detect asbestos levels down to 0.25 percent in soil, as opposed to older methods which detected levels to about 1 percent.
Asbestos exposure is a serious health concern. It is responsible for a host of health complications, including serious respiratory and cardiovascular concerns as well as terminal conditions such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a terminal, destructive cancer caused by the prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers. Over time, the fibers build up in the lining of the lungs, forming a cancer-causing plaque. The medical procedures for mesothelioma treatment often exceed the average person's medical insurance benefits. For this reason, it is important that individuals who have developed mesothelioma speak with an experienced mesothelioma attorney regarding the development of a mesothelioma lawsuit at their earliest convenience. By beginning this lengthy process, an individual can often expedite the possibility of receiving fair and necessary compensation to offset medical costs and increase their quality of life.
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