LIBBY, MONTANA

R. ACDA
F. M. BALDEMOR

CHEM181 CASE STUDY

LIBBY, MONTANA
Location: Lincoln County,
Montana, United States of
America

TOURIST SPOTS
TURNER MOUNTAIN
Skiing the way it used to be!!
Hometown skiing

TOURIST SPOTS
LIBBY DAM VISITOR
CENTER
Nice place to take a break
Nice side trip

TOURIST SPOTS
KOOTENAI ANGLER
Cast and Blast with Kootenai Angle
A beautiful river and the best out

TOURIST SPOTS
KOOTENAI FALLS
SWINGING BRIDGE
Kind of neat
Excellent fun

TOURIST SPOTS
MCGINNIS MEADOWS
CATTLE AND GUEST
RANCH
Possibly the best thing
I ever did

ZONOLITE CORPORATION &

W. R. GRACE
Zonolite Corporation (19191963) & W.R. Grace (19631990)
Vermiculite mine located
6 miles North of Libby
Produced 80% of the
worlds vermiculite from
1919 to 1990

VERMICULITE MINING
Vermiculite group of minerals that expands long, worm-like
strands when heated
Soil amendment
Thermal insulation filler
Absorbent
Ink, paint and plastic filler
Manufacturing of Vermiculite
Mining
Concentrating
Grading
Exfoliating

VERMICULITE
(Mg,Fe, Al)3 (Al,Si)4 O10(OH)2 4H2O
Specific type of silicates
Chemically inert, fire-resistant, odorless
Brown to golden brown
Mined in the US, Brazil, Argentina,
Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe,
Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, India,
Russia, China, Japan and Australia

ZONOLITE CORPORATION &

W. R. GRACE
Smoke coated the town for
decades and been a part of
residents lives
Libbys treasured isolation
As early as 1950s, the
vermiculite was found to
be contaminated with
tremolite.
In 1979, people of Libby
learned that tremolite is in
fact a type of asbestos.

POLLUTION PROBLEM
Problem: The vermiculite mined near Libby, Montana was
contaminated with asbestos and other fibrous amphibole minerals
Note: Amphibole minerals NaC2(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Al,Si)8O22(OH)2

ASBESTOS
A general term for a group of 6 naturally-occurring, fibrous silicate
minerals
Chemically inert, do not dissolve, burn or evaporate
Too small to be seen by the naked eye
Airborne (such as in dusts)
Regarded as carcinogenic and toxic

ASBESTOS

ASBESTOS

EXPOSURE
21-26% of the ore contains asbestos
3.5-6.4% asbestos in mill feed
0.3-7% asbestos in vermiculite concentrate shipped to other US
factories and other countries
40% asbestos in dry mill
Note: It is hard to distinguish Libby vermiculite from other
vermiculites.

FATE AND TRANSPORT

Transported through air and water
Long-range transport through air is common (especially via windblown dusts)
Soils and trees also contain significant amount of asbestos
Libby population is heavily dependent on woodstoves for
residential heating

HEALTH EFFECTS

Mainly affects the respiratory system

It enters the body through inhalation
Acute Effects:
No studies showing the short term toxicity of asbestos in humans
and animals

Chronic Effects:
- Asbestosis, Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer

ASBESTOSIS
According to the ATSDR, asbestosis is a serious, progressive,
long-term disease of the lungs
Inhalation of asbestos fibers lead to irritation and inflammation
of lung tissues resulting to scarring
Difficulty in breathing
Takes 10-20 years after initial exposure before the symptoms are
manifested
Can vary from asymptomatic to disabling and potentially fatal

ASBESTOS IN LUNGS

SYMPTOMS
Shortness of breath
Persistent and productive cough (cough with that releases mucus)
Chest tightness and pain
Loss of appetite
A dry, crackling sound in the lungs while inhaling

MESOTHELIOMA
A specific type of lung cancer
Affects the lining of the chest cavity (lungs, abdomen,
heart)
Long term cellular damages lead to tumor growth

SAMPLING AND
ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES

SAMPLE COLLECTION
EPA is mainly responsible for sampling, analysis and abatement
EPA collected thousands of samples from air, dust and solids
The samples where specifically from Grace mines, residences,
businesses and other properties in Libby

AIR SAMPLES
Small, portable pumps worn by individuals or larger stationary
pumps are set up in one location
Air is collected through a filter at a specific rate and a given period
of time
Asbestos and other breathable particles are trapped on the filter
Then, the samples are analyzed in the laboratory

AIR SAMPLERS

INDOOR DUST SAMPLES

The samples were collected using a micro-vacuum that sucks dustsized particles from specific areas
Air is drawn through a filter
Samples are sent for analysis

MICRO-VACUUM

SOLID SAMPLES
Examples include soil, mine waste and vermiculite
Samples were collected from yards, gardens, driveways and
excavations
Yard and driveway soils were taken from the upper six inches of
soil
Garden soils were taken from deeper levels
Waste samples were taken from open areas and any depth
Vermiculite samples were collected from indoors (household or
buildings)

SOLID SAMPLING

ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES
Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM)
Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Infrared Spectroscopy (IR)

PHASE CONTRAST MICROSCOPY

Traditional technique for measurement of asbestos fibers in air
Used to estimate health risk
Limited use since this cannot differentiate between asbestos and
non-asbestos fibers
Used (in Libby) in conjunction with other analytical techniques
A counting method (e.g. fibers/mm2)

POLARIZED LIGHT MICROSCOPY

Used to estimate the %asbestos in bulk samples (soil & insulating
materials)
This can differentiate asbestos types
But this cannot detect asbestos at low concentrations (below 1%)
This method is used in Libby for screening

TRANSMISSION ELECTRON
MICROSCOPY
Complex and sophisticated analytical technique
Can distinguish asbestos and non-asbestos fibers and asbestos
types
Used in higher magnifications thus smaller asbestos fibers can be
visualized

INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY
Rapid-screening method in the determination of the presence of
Libby asbestos in soil at low concentrations (<1%)
More reliable than PLM

SiOH STRETCHING BAND

3680 cm-1
Chrysotile or white
asbestos Mg3(Si2O5)
(OH)4

SiO STRETCHING BAND

770 cm-1
Crocidolite or blue
asbestos (Si8O22)
(OH,F)2

SiO STRETCHING BAND

1080 cm-1
Amosite or brown
asbestos
(Mg,Fe)7(Si8O22)(OH)2

CLEAN-UP
Interior Clean-up:
HEPA vacuums (vacuums with high efficiency particulate air filters) are used to
clean carpets and furniture
Moist cloths are used to clean surfaces
Aggressive air sampling to ensure minimal asbestos presence

CLEAN-UP
Outdoors:
Excavation is done
Collection of samples is done every 6-inch increment
Further excavation is done until no asbestos is detected
The hole is backfilled with soil brought in from other towns/cities

CLEAN-UP
As of April 2015, 1036 interior cleanups have been completed
2158 residential and commercial properties have been remediated
1,072,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil have been removed
72,600 cubic yards of debris and vermiculite attic insulation have
been removed