EPA Assessment on Asbestos Safety in Libby Due ‘Within A Year”

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that a final Risk Assessment of the Libby Amphibole Asbestos will be completed in less than one year, hopefully providing some definitive answers on just how dangerous the mesothelioma-causing fibers are for those in the town of Libby, Montana.

According to The Western News, The EPA’s Libby Team Leader Victor Ketellapper recently told the Lincoln County Commissioners that a Risk Assessment on asbestos that was mined in Libby may be available sooner than expected.

“We do not have all the toxicity values (necessary), but when we do there will be a Risk Assessment, probably within a year,” he said.

He added that the toxicity values should be made available by the Science Advisory Board in approximately six months, and the assessment would be released after they were properly analyzed.

Vermiculite ore contaminated with asbestos was mined in Libby for much of the 20th century. Out of approximately 2,600 residents of Libby, more than 200 people have died from diseases such as mesothelioma that can be linked to asbestos exposure.

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos and now suffers from mesothelioma, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation regarding a mesothelioma lawsuit.