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Asbestos is naturally occurring with six different types of magnesium silicates that exist as bundles of tiny fibers. The vermiculite mine W.R. Grace & Co. in Libby, Montana makes it one of the most heavily contaminated towns. The kind of asbestos that occurred in the W.R. Grace & Co. mine is known as tremolite.
According to experts, not all forms of tremolite present the same risk for suffering serious health effects. A Duke University pathologist, Dr. Victor L. Roggli, studies asbestos-related illnesses and said Libby’s tremolite is distinguished by its long, slender fibers. These characteristics make the tremolite fibers especially dangerous.
Thinness of a fiber allows the asbestos to penetrate deep into the lungs, the lining of the lung and even the abdominal cavity, according to Roggli. The length of fibers affects people exposed to asbestos as well because long fibers can become stuck in the lungs more easily. Roggli says a number of studies show the body’s defense mechanism is unable to get rid of long asbestos fibers, and once the fibers enter the lungs, they can remain for decades.
The Justice Department has indicted W.R. Grace & Co., in addition to seven people. Not just miners were at risk for developing asbestos related diseases. Seventy percent of the people affected by asbestos related illnesses never worked in the mine but could have suffered exposure by breathing the thick dust that settled over the entire town, as well as the asbestos fibers transported home by workers’ clothing and shoes.
Exposure to asbestos is linked to deadly health effects like mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. While asbestosis can take decades of exposure at fairly high levels, mesothelioma can result from just short-term contact. Mesothelioma is a rare but generally incurable form of cancer.
Workers exposed to asbestos in shipyards were mostly exposed to amosite, a straight, splintery asbestos used in building materials. Crocidolite, a bluish asbestos, was used widely to reinforce concrete, and though this type of asbestos is harmful, crocidolite has been linked to a much lower incidence of disease because fewer people have been exposed to it.
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