♦ CASE STUDY
A Contaminated Town Learning Outcomes
At the end of this case study, the student will be able to:
• Describe the effects of an environmental toxin on the health of a population
• Discuss polices related to environmental hazards
• Apply primary, secondary. and ternary prevention approaches to an environmental health Issue Since the early 1900s, the major Industry in the town of Libby, Montana, was the mining of vermiculite, ornate-nob used to insulate buildings.
A contaminant of vermicu-lite is asbestos, which is well known for causing serious lung diseases, including cancer. Concerns about health
CHAPTER 6 • Environmental Health
problems among the town residents, not only the miners, began to surface when a reporter revealed the population’s high rate of asbestosis and related diseases. Con-taminated soil was the major source of asbestosis around town—near homes, schools, and many public places that included athletic fields and the dust made its may indoors on vehicles such shoes, pets, and workers clothes.
The mine was closed in 1990, but by then a large proportion of the townspeople had been exposed, with ongoing exposure because the asbestosis remained in the soil. In 2002, the EPA placed Libby on its National Priority List, thereby Identifying the town as a site that appeared to warrant remedial action, leading to the test-ing and inspection of almost 5,000 residential and commercial properties.
Cleanup operations began throughout the town. In 2009, the EPA declared the twin of Libby a public health emergency. This status mobilizes funds to conduct further home-to-home cleanup and install health-care resources for those with asbestos exposure.
What type of hazardous agent is asbestos, what is the typical route of exposure, and what are its major health effects?
Are there government standards that regulate the permissible amount of asbestos?
List the agencies that would partner to address this extensive environmental disaster.
What primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive actions can be applied to protect the public’s health?
Last Completed Projects
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