PBS to tell story of asbestos tragedy and mesothelioma crisis in Libby, Montana

On August 28, the PBS documentary series P.O.V. will show “Libby, Montana,” a film that chronicles how an entire community was exposed to asbestos from the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine. The mine operated for 70 years, suppling vermiculite ore to make W.R. Grace’s Zonolite product. The vermiculite contained asbestos fibers, and the residents of Libby, Montana have suffered shockingly high rates of mesothelioma, many dying because of W.R. Grace’s contamination of this Rocky Mountain town. The Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged this as the worst example of industrial poisoning of an entire community in the history of the United States. The film also looks at corporate power and privilege and the tax that it can place on individuals and communities.

For more information, go to http://www.montanasnewsstation.com and http://www.missoulian.com