Hamner Institute Receives $2.1 Million to Study Health Effects of Asbestos ExposureChapel Hill, North Carolina - The Hamner Institute of Health Sciences has been given a $2.1 million contract from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to research the health effects of asbestos exposure.
The study is set to take place over three years. The primary focus of the research will be an examination of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite. Vermiculite was a naturally occurring mineral that was used extensively in insulation and packaging materials. Asbestos has a similar compound texture to vermiculite and has in recent years been found in shipments of vermiculite.
The W.R. Grace mine in Libby, Montana was known to have shipped hundreds of thousands of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite across the United States. Many of the mine’s workers and town residents became ill with asbestos related health complications, including the aggressive cancer mesothelioma.
Because asbestos-related health complications are somewhat rare, research in recent years has been slow to make any real advancement in mesothelioma treatment. It is the hope of the EPA and the cancer treatment community that this contract will begin more significant progress in the field.
The Hamner Institute is an independent institution formally associated with the U.S. chemical industry. The North Carolina facility is now striving to become one of the country’s leading health research centers.
