Mining History

The mining and use of asbestos extends back at least 5,000 years to ancient civilizations. The term asbestos is generic and refers to a group of silicate materials which form as long, thin mineral fibers boasting incredible tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to heat, chemicals and electricity. These useful properties contributed to its value in a number of commercial applications. Over 90 percent of all historical mining for asbestos has been for the chrysotile variety, which is a member of the curly-fibered serpentine form.

This group of six naturally occurring silicate minerals can be found in deposits throughout every continent. Although banned for use in most developed nations, it is still mined commercially in several countries, including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Canada and Brazil. This currently-produced asbestos still has a market in nations without the strict government regulation that protects citizens in other nations.

United States Mining History

In the United States, asbestos is no longer mined for. Nevertheless, U.S. mines once stretched down along the Appalachian region, with California and Oregon also supporting operations. In fact, of the 20 U.S. states containing natural deposits of asbestos, 17 supported mines. The last U.S. asbestos mine in operation, a chrysotile producer in California, closed in 2002. The last East Coast U.S. asbestos mine to operate was the north-central Vermont Lowell quarry, which also produced chrysotile material and closed in 1993.

Asbestos mining in the United States hit its peak between the 1960s and 1970s, when asbestos use was also at its height. Spurred on by a stronger economy and population growth, asbestos found use for a variety of purposes during this period, including as a roofing, flooring and insulation additive. In addition, this material could be found in a number of consumer products and pieces of industrial equipment.  Unfortunately, with so many uses and its soaring popularity, the risks for exposure were great, especially to the miners that produced the material.

Asbestos Mining Risks

Despite known medical and historical data, asbestos miners were not adequately warned of the risks of asbestos exposure, and continued to produce the material without proper protection. With their constant exposure to asbestos dust in enclosed environments without fresh air to reduce airborne particles, miners faced a high chance of developing a related disease. Furthermore, the families of these miners were put in danger as well due to indirect asbestos exposure. If these employees did not leave their uniforms at work or failed to properly cleanse themselves of these dangerous fibers after each shift, the tiny particles could travel home with them on their clothing or hair, putting family members at risk. This was especially true for those who did the laundry at home, as they came into the most direct contact with these fibers.

However, even U.S. miners that did not work for asbestos-producing companies were at risk for asbestos exposure, due to the material’s frequent presence with other minerals. Two such minerals that had commercial purposes but were frequently contaminated with asbestos fibers are vermiculite and talc. Vermiculite, in particular, posed a huge health risk to miners, with effects that continue to devastate former miners and their families today. This material was a popular product in an insulation known as Zonolite, which is estimated to have been used in tens of millions of U.S. homes.

Libby, Montana

In the town of Libby, Montana, W.R. Grace operated a large vermiculite production operation, providing the jobs that town relied on to prosper. In fact, Grace produced over 70 percent of all the vermiculite sold in the U.S. from 1923 to 1990. In addition, the company employed over 1,900 individuals over its lifetime. However, due to this material’s contamination with asbestos, all of those employees of W. R. Grace were put at risk for developing an asbestos-related disease.

In fact, due to the area’s heavy production of this material, the entire town of Libby is now an EPA Superfund Site, where the government agency is now working to remove the fibrous threat, which is literally found throughout the town. Even the trees around the mine became embedded with these dangerous asbestos particles as they spewed forth from the site. Over 400 deaths town deaths and thousands of illnesses and related injuries have already been attributed to the Libby mine, which was finally closed in 1990.

Mining Outcomes

Despite the end of asbestos mining in the United States, many former miners will likely continue to develop asbestos-related diseases due to the intense, sustained asbestos exposure that was inherent to their profession. Although U.S. production of asbestos steadily decreased from its peak quantity of 136,000 metric tons in 1973 to its final mine closure in 2002, the latency period of mesothelioma is sure to delay our awareness of the toll this industry took on Americans. Other diseases many former miners face due to their disturbing of natural mineral deposits are asbestosis, which is a respiratory illness, and lung cancer. Today, as many as 3,000 Americans receive a new mesothelioma diagnosis each year.