More on Libby, Montana

I'll have to admit that I had never heard of Libby, Montana until seeing the info from the Fayette County Library about the film. I find it hard to imagine anyone being that cold-hearted about their fellow man. However, all I really have to do to put it in perspective is look at the atrocities happening in all corners of the world. Human beings can certainly be cruel.

I thought I'd go do a little Internet snooping to see what else I could find out about the situation in Libby. Here's some of the better links I found:

http://www.highplainsfilms.org/fp_libby.html (info about the film, rave reviews, etc.)

From the EPA:
Libby AsbestosSet in the northwest corner of Montana, 35 miles east of Idaho and 65 miles south of Canada, is the small town of Libby. The town lies in a picturesque valley carved by the Kootenai River and framed by the Cabinet Mountains to the south. Libby has population of less than 3,000, and 12,000 people live within a ten-mile radius. Libby is the Lincoln County seat. The community's assets include clean water, beautiful scenery, and recreational opportunities such as fishing, hiking, hunting, boating and skiing.
EPA has been working in Libby since 1999 when an Emergency Response Team was sent to investigate local concern and news articles about asbestos-contaminated vermiculite. Since that time, EPA has been working closely with the community to clean up contamination and reduce risks to human health...
http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/libby/

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
ATSDR Involvement in Libby
In 1999, The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) was asked by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to evaluate human health concerns in Libby that were related to asbestos exposure. DHHS was acting on requests received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Montana Congressional delegation....
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/Asbestos/sites/libby_montana/

W.R. Grace Faces Criminal Charges for Asbestos at Libby Mine
MISSOULA, Montana, February 8, 2005 (ENS) - W.R. Grace & Co. and seven current and former Grace executives knew that their vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana was emitting carcinogenic asbestos into the air, endangering workers and residents, but they concealed the information, according to a criminal indictment unsealed in federal court Monday. Some 1,200 people have been identified as suffering from illnesses linked to asbestos exposure at Libby.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2005/2005-02-08-02.asp