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Libby OKs asbestos study center

November 4, 2004 /

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The City Council in Libby has approved an asbestos research center that has drawn interest from cancer clinics nationwide and international scientists.

Councilors voted Monday to allocate $250,000 from what’s left of an $8 million federal economic development grant toward the center. The federal money was given to Libby in 2000 after the government learned of widespread disease and nearly 200 deaths from asbestos exposure linked to a former vermiculite mine.

Associated Press

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/11/04/build/state/60-libby-asbestos.inc

The Center for Asbestos-Related Disease first proposed the research center to the Libby Area Development Co., the group charged with dispensing the $8 million grant.

The development group was disbanded by city officials after they declined the research request and suggested proponents for the center consider a loan instead.

The research clinic has drawn interest from scientists as far away as Australia, and many of the 38 National Cancer Institute sites across the country, said Dr. Brad Black, a CARD clinic physician.

The University of Cincinnati, University of Montana and Mount Sinai Hospital are also interested in studying the health effects of asbestos found in Libby.

The $250,000 grant will be used as seed money to begin work on an extensive database that will store information for research projects. A tissue bank that would primarily handle lung tissue is also planned, Black said.

"We’ll promote research that provides benefits for patients with progressive lung disease," he said. "Seed money helps us look into the private world for matching funds."

A scientific advisory board will oversee research projects and study new proposals, and the center will be funded through grants from outside investigators.

"There are 30 to 40 million homes insulated with vermiculite, so the government is interested in research here," Black said. "Investigators from other sites around the world will submit proposals to us, areas where there are common populations with asbestos problems."