Libby Mesothelioma Lawyer

Libby was home to W.R. Grace vermiculite mines that operated for years. The mine also contained asbestos and poisoned area residents and workers in vermiculite facilities around the country. Contact a Libby mesothelioma lawyer for legal advice if you’ve encountered asbestos-contaminated vermiculite or local contamination.

If you or someone you love suffers from mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis, you may qualify for significant compensation. Fill out our form to get a free Financial Compensation Packet. You’ll learn about the experienced mesothelioma lawyers in Libby, how to get paid in 90 days, how to file a claim for the asbestos trust funds, and more.

Libby Asbestos Facts

• With a sparse population, the number of deaths related to asbestos in Montana are small, just over 1,500 from 1999 to 2017.
• Lincoln County, home of Libby, had the highest number of deaths in that period, with 262.
• The W.R. Grace mines in Libby are part of one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in the U.S.

Libby and the Asbestos Disaster

Mining has long been an important industry in Montana. Mining in and around Libby began in earnest in the 19th century, and by the early 1900s, it was booming.

The Zonolite vermiculite mines comprised the biggest share of the operation in the region. W.R. Grace bought them in 1963. Vermiculite was used extensively in a range of construction materials.

At its peak period of operations in the middle of the 20th Century, the Libby mine produced two million tons of vermiculite mineral per year. The company shipped the vermiculite to processing plants around the country.

As workers, residents, and the government later learned, the vermiculite was contaminated with asbestos. Libby’s mines may have produced around 80 percent of the world’s vermiculite supply.

Mine activities released about 5,000 pounds of asbestos into the air until W.R. Grace ceased operations in Libby in 1990.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Libby as a Superfund site. Since 2002, the EPA has been conducting a massive cleanup effort.

Between 1,200 and 1,400 Libby properties still show signs of asbestos contamination.

Thousands of people in Libby and cities with vermiculite processing plants have been exposed and gotten sick from asbestos. The death toll related to Libby vermiculite is expected to continue rising.

Superfund Cleanup Efforts

The EPA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars cleaning up the Libby site. The closed mining facilities have been cleaned of asbestos.

However, the operations by both Zonolite and its corporate owner W.R. Grace went on for so long that even the wood chips in nearby logging mills were contaminated.

Progress is being made, with another site delisting in early 2020. In 2021, the EPA deleted yet another part of the site from the Superfund list.

The EPA will also soon be handing over control of the site to state and county government agencies.

Getting Legal Assistance in Libby

Remember, if you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis, you may qualify for significant compensation. Get our free Financial Compensation Packet for information on the top mesothelioma and asbestos lawyers in your area. For questions and assistance, feel free to contact us at 800-793-4540.