Sheep Creek Mine: Why Risk Another Libby Asbestos Disaster?
Mountain pass, California rare earth mineral ining and processing facility. Photo courtesy of Tmy 350 and Creative commons Attribution Share alike 4.0 .
Montanans are well aware of the asbestos disaster caused by the vermiculite mine in Libby that turned the town into a Superfund site. Libby’s tremolite asbestos lurked in the shadows for decades until determined citizens brought the hidden killer to light. But too late for more than 400 people who died and many more left sickened with asbestosis, dying slowly and painfully from asbestos fibers lodged in their lungs.
A similar disaster was narrowly avoided when actinolite, a mineral that belongs to the amphibole family became a topic of concern about the proposed Skalkaho vermiculite mine near Hamilton in 1999. The question of asbestos was not addressed by officials until the mine was almost permitted. Only after the Bitterroot National Forest had issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement did the agency decide to evaluate the potential for asbestos exposure. The mining company folded before testing.
As “Roadside Geology of Montana” notes: “Several early attempts to mine vermiculite in the Skalkaho intrusion went poorly. While at one time that seemed unfortunate, now it’s clear that we narrowly escaped having another major environmental disaster.”
Yet, Montanans are facing this situation once again with the US Critical Materials Sheep Creek mine project at the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. There could hardly be in a riskier place to mine given the location, the surrounding wilderness lands, and the threat of river contamination throughout the Bitterroot Valley.
The company did not pick that spot for a rare earth elements deposit nor choose other minerals associated with the rare earth elements in the ore veins. But one of those minerals is actinolite, a close relative of Libby’s deadly tremolite — and both are asbestos in their fibrous form.
As a recent study on the dangers of actinolite concluded: “The lack of widespread awareness regarding actinolite complicates efforts to mitigate its health risks. Unlike more commonly known asbestos types…actinolite often remains underestimated. Actinolite occurs in both fibrous and non-fibrous forms, but the fibrous type has garnered a reputation due to its links with asbestos. The health risks associated with this mineral cannot be overstated: Exposure to actinolite, particularly in environments where it is disturbed, poses significant respiratory health risks. The potential for mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other diseases expands with prolonged exposure.”
To be clear, nobody knows if there is asbestos at Sheep Creek. But there is good reason to suspect asbestos may be there. Geologists at Montana Tech report that actinolite is one of the most common minerals in the host rock and the veinlets containing ore are “actinolite-rich.” The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Crowley Bulletin reports actinolite at Sheep Creek “forms masses of radiating fibers surrounding other crystals.” The American Mineralogist, a prestigious industry journal, confirms: “actinolite forms clusters of fibers, usually in radiating groups.”
There’s no question the actinolite is there. But although US Critical Materials has sampled ore for several years and tested for a long list of analytes, I can find no mention of possible asbestos on US Critical Materials’ website.
Asbestos exposure happens by breathing contaminated dust, which is very hard to contain and clean up. Mining is dusty business. Workers at Sheep creek are already breathing dust. So why not test for asbestos to inform both the public and agency management? We’ve been down this lethal road before. Public health concerns are clear: test soon to avoid spreading asbestos around if it’s there.
Contact Bitterroot NF Supervisor Matt Anderson [email protected] and Ranger Dan Pliley [email protected] about possible asbestos at Sheep Creek.
The post Sheep Creek Mine: Why Risk Another Libby Asbestos Disaster? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
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