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Grace to pick up medical bills in tainted town
Hundreds poisoned by asbestos may receive help
Saturday, January 22, 2000
By ANDREW SCHNEIDER
LIBBY, Mont. -- W.R. Grace says it will pick up the medical bills for hundreds of people who contracted asbestosis or cancer from asbestos generated at the company's now-closed vermiculite mine near this northwest Montana community.
"Grace takes its responsibilities to the people of Libby and the situation there very seriously," said Paul Norris, Grace's chief executive officer.
In November, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that 192 people had died and 375 more had been diagnosed with fatal diseases stemming from asbestos exposure.
The newspaper documented that tons of asbestos were released into the air over Libby during more than six decades of vermiculite mining at Zonolite Mountain. Grace, which owned the mine for 30 years, closed it in 1990 and sold the property four years later.
After publication of the P-I articles, other victims have contacted health authorities to report asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma or other problems because their hearts have been weakened by their diseased lungs.
"Libby is a unique situation deserving a unique solution," the company chairman added.
Grace will donate $250,000 a year "for as long as necessary" to Libby's St. John's Lutheran Hospital to provide independent health screening to anyone who wants it, the company said in a statement released at a public meeting Thursday night.
Grace said it also will provide medical coverage to anyone diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease.
"People who have concerns about their exposure to asbestos now will have an independent place to go and be tested," Norris said. "If anyone is diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, they will have insurance to cover the medical costs of treating it."
Les Skramstad, his wife, Norita, and two of his five children have been diagnosed with asbestosis.
"There are hundreds of people around here who are carrying that asbestos time bomb in their chest. And they need all the help they can get, but some people are a little leery" about Grace's offer, he said.
"In the past, everything that Grace has touched involving health problems at the mine has wound up hurting the miner and his family. Many people need the medical help that (Grace is) offering, but you can understand why some are frightened about the company being involved," Skramstad said.
"It's been proven that medical testing that Grace did for years was withheld from the people involved," Benefield said.
"The idea of Grace providing health care to the hundreds of people who need it is a very long time coming. But because of the company's history, we all want to ensure that there are absolutely no strings attached. We don't want to see these people hurt again," she said.
Alan Stringer, the last manager of the mine and Grace's representative in the town, said Grace has set no financial ceiling on the medical coverage, and those who accept the medical care won't waive their right to sue the company.
An emergency-response team from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Public Health Service and other federal and state agencies rushed to Libby within days of the P-I running its articles.
The investigators are trying to determine whether any public health hazards from the asbestos-tainted vermiculite ore remain. Results of the first of what will be months of testing are to be released by month's end.
Rick Palagi, chief executive officer of the town's 29-bed hospital, and Dr. Brad Black, Lincoln County's health officer, estimate that 4,000 people in Libby and the surrounding county are at risk for asbestos-related disease and abnormalities.
The pair have told the government and Montana's congressional delegation that about $6.8 million would be needed to screen the 4,000 people, treat 1,000 who might have the disease and do medical research on those afflicted.
"This whole thing is like a bowl of spaghetti here," Palagi said. "We're trying to figure out who is going to do what for these people. This offer from Grace is another couple of strands of spaghetti that look pretty darn good.
"There is no doubt that we have many folks here who are hurting. And our job is to try to figure out a way to take care of them," Palagi said. "We'll work with Grace, the government or anybody else to make sure that happens."
P-I senior national correspondent Andrew Schneider can be reached at 206-448-8218 or andrewschneider@seattle-pi.com
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
Gayla Benefield, who lost her parents to asbestosis, calls Grace's actions "a start in the right direction." But she also advised caution.
Gayla Benefield visits the graves of her parents at the cemetery in Libby. Her father worked in the vermiculite mine and died from asbestosis. Her mother did not work at the mine, but family members were believed to be affected by the asbestos brought home in the miners' dusty clothes. Gilbert W. Arias/P-I
Day 1
· A town left to die
· It all started with the search for gold
· The History of W.R. Grace Co.
· Dangers of asbestos exposure
· Known deaths from tremolite from Libby mine (graphic)
Day 2
· While people are dying, government agencies pass buck
· 'No one ever told us that stuff could kill you'
· Libby's lost miners: A gallery
· Group organizes to help victims
(newest at top)
· W.R. Grace to pay record Superfund fine
· Finally, asbestos-plagued Libby, Mont., to get help
· Up to 30% tested in Libby hurt by asbestos
· W.R. Grace files for bankruptcy
· Labor Dept. enters Libby's asbestos fight
· Why did dying miners get no help?
· Health warning on attic asbestos
· W.R. Grace buys its old Libby mine, then bans EPA investigators from it
· Grace backs off pledge to clean up asbestos
· Grace sends papers to EPA -- reportedly tainted
· A small group of physicians is trying to change the course of asbestos-induced disease
· One victim's story: '(I) couldn't get a breath; it scared me to death almost' · Horseman in the race of his life
· Class-action suit targets Grace Co., insulation
· Mine-safety agency takes action
· Immediate cleanup sought in mining town
· Grace to pick up medical bills in tainted town
· Asbestos study is expanded nationwide
· Deadly ore was shipped around U.S., Canada
· Just 23 months hauling ore--and it killed him 36 years later
· Finally, asbestos victims have their say
· Initial tests reveal areas of asbestos in and around Libby
· Montana's governor knows asbestos danger
· State, federal authorities sending teams to Montana mining town
· Editorial: Libby folks must get some answers
· EPA sues for access to Libby vermiculite mine
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