Reference

METHODS: Community-wide asbestos exposures caused by mining activities took place in Libby, Mont. from 1919 until 1990. Once respiratory health effects were identified, environmental and healthcare responses were initiated by the federal government. The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) was started in Libby as a result of the sudden recognition of this public health disaster and CARD ...

Thanks to federal grants, the work began. Subsequently, the designation of Libby as an Environmental Public Health Emergency brought funding to support the community's efforts to build a clinic focused entirely on helping people exposed to asbestos, including clinical care, collection of health and exposure data, and partnering with researchers.

History of exposure. Dr. Montague Murray first recognized the negative health effects of asbestos in 1899 ().However, dust control legislation for mines was not enacted in North America until 1971 ().In the intermediate years, mining and use of asbestos increased dramatically by 120-fold, peaking upon the enaction of legislation in 1971, and decreasing exponentially until the present (Figure 1).