Libby clinic holds asbestos screening in Kalispell

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease is holding a mobile screening event in Kalispell in October.

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) in Libby was established to screen those potentially exposed to amphibole asbestos within Lincoln County and to provide ongoing care to those who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related disease due to Libby Amphibole.

Under a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CARD can provide free asbestos-related disease screening for everyone who qualifies under the grant. To qualify there must be no prior diagnosis of asbestos-related disease and be able to provide proof of being present in Lincoln County, for at least six months total duration at least 10 years ago. This can be cumulative over several visits or periods.

Because it is often hard for some people who do qualify to make it to Libby, CARD has received grant funding to take the screening process on the road.

The Kalispell screening is Oct. 10-13 at the Hilton Garden Inn at 1840 U.S. 93.

A vermiculite mine operated in Libby for over 70 years closing in 1990. The vermiculite ore, processed in various plants around the country and sold as insulation, was contaminated with a distinct form of asbestos now known as Libby Amphibole.

Workers at the mine and their families, local loggers and mill workers, and those living and working in and around Lincoln County were potentially exposed to this amphibole asbestos. There is a markedly higher prevalence of asbestos-related disease in this population. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spent years cleaning up many of the contaminated areas, individuals may still be at risk due to exposure many years prior.

It can take 10 to more than 40 years for asbestos-related disease to develop.

Screening consists of a chest X-ray done onsite by a mobile radiology company, autoimmune blood tests, a spirometry breathing test, extensive health and exposure history, and an interview with a trained provider. If there is suspicion of disease, a follow up CT of the chest may be ordered.

This is all free for those who meet grant criteria and is the same screening process that takes place at CARD in Libby.

There is a minimum number of participants from any given area required for the mobile clinic to be arranged.

For more information, call (406) 293-9274. Additional details about CARD can be found at www.libbyasbestos.org.