Asbestos Awareness Week in April
by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio
March 7, 2012
Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus announced Wednesday (March 6, 2012) the U.S. Senate has passed a resolution to designate the first week of April 2012 as "Asbestos Awareness Week." Senator Jon Tester joined fellow Montana Senator Max Baucus to sponsor the bipartisan resolution. This is the sixth year in a row Baucus has introduced the resolution to honor the nearly 300 people in Libby who have died from asbestos-related diseases. Many of the victims worked at the W.R. Grace vermiculite mine that shut down in 1990.
Libby was declared a Public Health Emergency in 2009 after years of widespread deaths and illness linked to exposure to deadly asbestos fibers at the now defunct W.R. Grace mine.
"Asbestos Awareness Week is a rallying cry to keep the tragedy of Libby from happening again. It’s also an opportunity to remind people that much more work lies ahead to help victims of asbestos-related diseases," said Baucus, who was instrumental in urging the EPA to declare its first ever public health emergency in Libby, Montana. "Although we can never fully right the outrageous wrong that took place in Libby, we can fight to make sure the community has the tools it needs to heal. And, we can keep working hard to make sure the public is aware of the tragic impact of asbestos exposure."
For his ongoing efforts on behalf of residents of Libby, Lincoln County and asbestos-victims everywhere, Baucus was presented with the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s "Tribute of Hope Award" last year.
Tester introduced legislation in 2010 to recruit health-care specialists to underserved communities like Libby that are Public Health Emergencies.
"Asbestos is a silent killer that we need to attack from all angles. Too many folks in Libby know first-hand about its dangers, and we owe it to them to do all we can to prevent asbestos-related tragedies and protect the health of Montanans and Americans, said Tester."
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By Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio, www.todaysbestcountryonline.com e-mail: klcb@frontiernet.net.
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