Mesothelioma Update: Libby Epidemiology Research Project to last 40 yearsLibby, Montana - The Center for Asbestos Related Diseases is searching for individuals who lived in Libby between 1950 and 1990--and had then moved away from the area without returning.
CARD hopes to study the effects of those individuals who, when they were children, were exposed to low-levels of asbestos. They also aim to compare the effects of Libby’s amphibole asbestos exposure, to that of chrysotile asbestos exposure (a more commercial form of the material). Lastly, the project will focus on the relationship between Libby’s degrees of asbestos exposure, to that of autoimmune disorders.
Subjects who participate in the project will not only aid CARD’s research efforts, but also obtain a free screening, which, unfortunately, may reveal signs of mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer which affects the lining of most of the body’s internal organs. Symptoms typically do not arise for 30 years.
In order to track down individuals who graduated from Libby during their designated period, CARD worked with Libby schools’ superintendents’ office to obtain 13,515 names. It will be a difficult task, however, to now locate those individuals whom reside across the country.
A sector of the federal Center for Disease Control, The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, has funded the five-year project with a $4.8 million grant, according to the Daily Interlake.
CARD hopes to identify a safe level of asbestos exposure from the study. As CARD’s clinical coordinator, Kimberly Rowse, noted: “The big question at large is how clean is clean.”
The study, which concludes in 2014, hopes to provide a wide range of asbestos related data, including mesothelioma information, to the public.
