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Federal $$ coming for asbestos victims in Libby MT, mining co. wins award
Millions of federal health care dollars arrive in Libby this month, providing treatment and health screenings for a town widely contaminated by asbestos, while the company responsible for the contamination is commended for its generosity after being acquitted of criminal charges stemming from its mining operations.
"Help has arrived on the ground for folks in Libby who are victims of asbestos-related disease," Sen. Max Baucus said last week in a prepared statement.
In June, the Montana Democrat succeeded in having a "public health emergency" declared in Libby. It was the first - and last - time in the nation's history that such a declaration had been made, and Baucus called the move "truly historic."
Meanwhile W.R. Grace, the chemical company responsible for the contamination that has killed hundreds of townspeople over the past 50 years, was given the "Philanthropist of the Year" award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Organizers managed to omit the words "asbestos" and "mesothelioma" (a deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos) from last week's award ceremony.
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