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Diligence will bring about an honest risk assessment

| August 13, 2013 11:05 AM

Letter to the Editor,

Sir,  I am very impressed. For once The Western News has turned to an outside private consultant who has been involved in the subject of mineral fibers outside of Libby, and who has paid attention. Mr. Jeff Camplin.

There are many others, of course: Dr. Corbett McDonald, Dr. Bruce Case McGill University, Professor Arthur Langer City College of New York, Mr. John Addison Edinburgh, Dr. Marc Schenker University of California Davis, et al, who have watched Libby and its relation to mineral fiber toxicity, for many years prior to the public announcement.

Each of these people can confirm the words of Camplin and provide far more information, spanning the scientific study of mineral fibers over the last 60 years.

 It is important to note that the situation inside Libby seemingly can only be seen clearly by scientists from the outside. Scientists who have been involved with Libby fibers in animal testing, population studies, morphology of fibers and comparative studies. Risk analysis was accomplished by these people long ago.

 Currently, the EPA has on its website for Libby, the results of the special scientific panel set up to consult to the Scientific Advisory Board of EPA. These 16 people, some of them with speciality skills that exceed anything most normal people have ever heard of determined that there is no safe exposure levels to Libby Amphibole Asbestos. I witnessed the telephone conversations among the new recruits to the subject as well as some of the old hands such as Julian Peto. Some of these scientists were quite shocked. The old hands were just sighing with various frustrations that span, as I said, 60 years.

 Importantly, the EPA attempted to narrow the scope of the Asbestos Scientific Panel to just Libby Amphibole Asbestos. Leaving out the more toxic forms of mineral fiber that are found inside the United States, and the higher death toll epidemics concurrent with Libby such as Jefferson Parish La., the highest known mesothelioma rate in the nation caused by Crocidolite Asbestos. Thereby, lowering a $100 billion problem existing in the U.S. today to simply the $1 billion problem of Libby.

This may very well backfire on the EPA since the “asbestos activists” of the world, will soon be pointing out that “asbestos” exposures in places like San Francisco, Lake County, Calif., Tuolumne County, Calif., are at least 100 times higher than any exposures ever recorded in Libby.

With everyone screaming that “asbestos” needs to be cleaned up and priorities should fall to the highest levels of exposures, Libby once again will come in at the bottom of the list of urgency.

 EPA has its hands full providing a Risk Assessment in 2014. If they do, it will be wrong to one degree or another as all past incarnations have been. Libby simply can not be cleaned to the level of exposure that is required by the world wide findings placed in front of EPA over the last 60 years. The final Risk Analysis will be more, much more, politics than it will be science or health protective.

 If The Western News talks to more Jeffrey Camplins, and the others listed above and fewer “activists” (usually sponsored directly and indirectly by attorneys firms), over the next year, then Libby will be prepared for the final Risk Assessment as dictated by EPA by the 2014 date.

They will know what is politics and what is science. If The Western News places Libby in its rightful context in the nation’s hot spots, which is pretty darn high — as well as explains that these types of lung disorders, aside from the cancers, are only seen with Tremolite everywhere in the world, maybe even approaching the differences among fiber type toxicity — then the people of Libby will have been served by having the facts placed in front of them for their decision making process.

It is pretty certain EPA is not going to lay this out for the people of Libby.  

— Terry Trent

 Biologist

Auburn, Calif.