Vermont health officials say they will do further investigation of the health risks associated with living near the abandoned Belvidere Mountain asbestos mine in northern Vermont. An early report from the state health department showed an increased risk of asbestosis and lung cancer among those living within 10 miles of the mine. Area residents were concerned and upset—both about community safety and about their property values. New data suggests that the risk to residents may have been overstated.
Research done by an interested community group has suggested that the elevated incidence of asbestos-related deaths found in the area around the mine is connected instead to occupational exposure to asbestos. State officials will examine all the available data and anticipate publishing the findings by the beginning of April.
Inhalation of chrysotile asbestos, like that mined at Belvidere Mountain until 1993, can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestos. There is no clear threshold for safe exposure; every exposure to airborne asbestos fibers increases the risk of disease.
State officials say that the evidence suggests area residents may have had some asbestos exposure in the past, but the risk of current exposures is unknown. They have warned those in the area to stay away from the mine and its 30 million tons of asbestos-contaminated debris—which had been popular with ATV riders.
Evaluating and trying to contain the asbestos debris on the site has already cost the state of Vermont about $200,000. The EPA has spent about $2 million to keep the asbestos-contaminated tailings on the site from entering and damaging the nearby waterways. Estimates for the cleanup of the site run as high as $240 million.
For the full story, go to the Rutland Herald.
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