Libby, Montana - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a new clean-up standard for the asbestos-laden town of Libby that will be 5,000 times tougher than what has been used in past projects regarding the clean-up of airborne asbestos, reports an article in The Missoulian.
Environmental experts proclaim this to be a move that finally represents a victory for those who’ve fought hard against companies like W.R. Grace and Co., a Maryland-based manufacturer that showed little regard for employees and for the environment in regards to asbestos exposure and contamination in Libby.
In the town of Libby, contamination from Grace’s vermiculite mine has already resulted in the deaths of more than 400 individuals with nearly 1,800 other area residents or former workers sickened by some sort of asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma. Grace officials, however, object to the current proposal, which they say is going too far and could result in extremely expensive clean-ups at sites throughout the United States.
Others, however, believe the EPA is doing the right thing in demanding that the concentrations of airborne asbestos be as low as possible.
“In many respects, it would be like banning it, getting it so low,” said former assistant U.S. Surgeon General Richard Lemen. “EPA is being realistic and saying, ‘Look, we know there’s asbestos out there and we’re not going to get rid of all of it, but let’s put our concentration as low as we possibly can.’”
The article notes that the new standards would declare that airborne asbestos concentrations exceeding two-100,000ths of a fiber per cubic centimeter pose a health risk. Previously, action was taken only when the substance was airborne in amounts greater than one-10th of a fiber per cubic centimeter. This is an issue that is crucial to the health of Libby residents.
In addition, the EPA proposal, for the first time, sets a risk level for non-cancer illnesses, such as the lung disease asbestosis, which has already killed dozens of individuals in and around the town and has sickened hundreds more.
0 comments:
Post a Comment