Atlanta - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, released results of the first round of the asbestos medical testing program in Libby, Montana, at a Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting on Thursday, August 23, 2001, at the City Hall (Ponderosa Room) in Libby, Montana.

The medical testing program is part of the Libby Community Environmental Health Project. The program is designed to identify and examine people whose health may have been affected by exposure to asbestos related to vermiculite mining and processing in and around Libby. The purpose of the program is to identify health effects likely to have been caused by asbestos exposure so that people can be referred for medical evaluation and treatment.

The tests, which were conducted between July and November 2000, included a face-to-face interview to determine the individual's possible history of exposure to vermiculite, a chest x-ray, and a pulmonary-or lung-function test. Participation in the program was voluntary. Testing was open to anyone who lived or worked in the Libby community for six months or more prior to December 31, 1990, as well as to former employees, and their families, of the Zonolite/W.R. Grace Company vermiculite mine and processing facilities in Libby.

Copies of the report will be available after August 23, 2001, for public review at the following public repositories:

Lincoln County Library
220 W. 6th
Libby, Montana 59923
Contact: Gail Anderson
Phone: (406) 293-2778

Lincoln County Health Department
418 Mineral Avenue
Libby, Montana 59923
Contact: Ron Anderson
Phone: (406) 293-7781, ext. 228

ATSDR Office
501 Mineral Avenue
Libby, Montana 59923
Regional Rep. Dan Strausbaugh
Phone: (406) 293-2728

After August 23, community members seeking information on the content or the testing procedures of this report, or who would like to receive a copy, can contact the ATSDR Information Center, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737), or the ATSDR office in Libby at (406) 293-2728. Callers should refer to the "Libby, Montana, site." Also, ATSDR Regional Representative Dan Strausbaugh in Helena, Montana, may be called for information at (406) 441-1120, ext. 257.

For more information about asbestos and health effects related to asbestos exposure, please visit the ATSDR Web site at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov and click on ToxFAQs for Asbestos.