Libby, Mont., demands national attention.

 

Normally, that wouldn't be the case. Tucked between two mountain ranges in Montana's northwest corner and home to about 3,000 people, it's another dot on the map.

 

But after more than 200 Libby residents died from asbestos-related diseases, people are paying heed to the small blue-collar town. Libby's health epidemic was likely spurred by a nearby mine, which was once an important part of the town's economy. Asbestos-contaminated vermiculite was uncovered for decades at the mine and then sent across the country to be processed and used in insulation, fireproofing and potting soil. 

 

The mine closed in 1990, but the aftermath of its effects on the Libby community is ongoing.

 

Now, W.R. Grace, the large international company that owned the mine, and five of its top employees are on trial in Missoula, Mont. The case, which began on Feb. 19, could be one of the largest environmental crimes trials in U.S. history. 

 

But as Libby becomes the front-page story in newspapers across the nation, many towns that processed the contaminated vermiculite have hardly been in the limelight -- and some of those towns had more dangerous working conditions than Libby. 

 

In 13 cities across the country, the Environmental Working Group reports that vermiculite plant workers were exposed to higher concentrations of asbestos than the mine workers in Libby.

 

It's a fact that many people don't know -- including those who still live in these cities and work in former W.R. Grace processing plants. 

 

Jeffrey M. Sanders, a Kentucky attorney who specializes in environmental law, has know about Libby, Mont., since the early 1990's. It was another decade before he realized that the same asbestos-contaminated ore that was killing people across the country had been in his own neighborhood for 40 years, just a few blocks and a river's width from his high school. 

 

But the dangers of asbestos exposure extend past the plant workers, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. People who lived near the plant while it was operating may also be at risk of asbestos-related health problems. 

 

It's a description that Sanders could fall into. While his home was five miles from the processing plant, the proximity of his high school could put him in that category. Sanders said neither he nor his family members have been tested for asbestos-related diseases. The poison he might have inhaled in his youth could settle for years before the symptoms appear. It's easy to forget, Sanders said, that he could have been exposed.

 

"But if I were told tomorrow that I have asbestosis, I would want to hold (W.R. Grace) responsible for what they've done," he said.

 

In at least 12 other cities throughout the U.S., processing plants workers were exposed to air that was more contaminated with asbestos than the air at the Libby mine. These places includes Los Angeles, Omaha, Chicago, St. Louis and Milwaukee. Other affected cities are in Maine, South Carolina and Michigan.