Thursday, June 18, 2009

EPA Announces Public Health Emergency at Montana Site

Yesterday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was declaring a public health emergency at the Libby asbestos site in Montana, where cases of asbestos-related disease have been affecting the residents in the towns of Libby and Troy for decades. This is the first time that the EPA has declared a public health emergency under 1980's Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (popularly known as CERCLA or Superfund).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be providing a short-term grant to provide medical care to residents of Libby and Troy. You can read a local account of this news in Libby's Western News.

You can also find the EPA's laws and regulation on asbestos at its website. For additional government resources, see our guide to the environment.

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